I enjoy reading. I hadn't read a lot lately, up until a month or two ago it had been taking me several months to get through a book. Now I'm back in the reading habit, especially since I've been having trouble sleeping at night. I've read probably 5 books, almost 6, in the last month or so.
I've been noticing that every book I've read has been written in the third person perspective. Not one written in first person. Why is that?
Is first person too personal for most people to read? I suppose if the subject matter of the book is highly emotional or disturbing it would make the reader feel too close to the subject matter to read in first person. Or is it just easier to write in third person for most authors?
So there you have some of the things that I wonder when I'm laying in bed not sleeping.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
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hmmm never gave it much thought ...
Cool that you are reading so much. When I was pregnant I could not read a thing, now I am to tired but slowly getting back into it.
Actually, few fiction books are written in first person. I think many authors avoid first person because it tends to limit the other characters in terms of their thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
Kurt and I could only name a few novels written in first person -- one of my favorites? Catcher in the Rye.
I don't think I've read a novel in about a year, but it seemed I was reading a bunch of books written from the perspectives of several characters. Someone told me this is called head hopping.
I think Sandy is right, although it does help you identify with the main character more. I recently read a book by Hugh Laurie (the guy from House) called The Gun Seller, which was written in 1st person. I actually think it was a mistake, because the main character is a wise-cracking smartass, and by using 1st person it sounds too much like the author thinks too highly of himself. Still a great book, but I can't figure out why he wrote it in 1st person.
I read books pretty regularly and I can't think of the last time I read a book in the first person. So what have you been reading?
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