narrator

A narrator is the voice that presents a narrative to the audience. The narrator may be a character within the story, a voice outside the story, or a more distant, authorial presence. The narrator's perspective shapes what readers learn, how events are framed, and the mood of the work. In some traditions, the narrator also interprets events, offers judgments, or reveals hidden meanings.

Narrators are commonly discussed in terms of point of view. First-person narration uses I and is often intimate and subjective, since the storyteller may know only their own experiences. Third-person narration uses he, she, or they; it can be omniscient, presenting the thoughts of many characters, or limited, following a single character. Second-person narration uses you, which is less common but can create immediacy. An unreliable narrator is a storyteller whose credibility is compromised, whether through bias, deceit, or mistaken perception.

Many works employ frame narratives or multiple narrators, shifting perspectives, or self-reflexive narration that calls attention to the act of storytelling. The narrator's voice—tone, diction, and level of detail—helps establish authority, pace, and sympathy. The distinction between narrator and author can be subtle: the author constructs the narrator, who then guides the reader's experience.

In film and other media, narration can appear as voice-over commentary or as a characteristic voice of a game or television series. In oral traditions, a storyteller performs a narration to an audience, often incorporating gesture and audience participation.