narratorem

Narratorem is a Latin term that translates to “the narrator” in English. It is the accusative singular form of a noun derived from the verb narro, narrare, meaning to tell or relate. In Latin texts, narratorem appears when the narrator is being indicated as the direct object of a verb or in phrases that describe who tells the events.

In classical usage, the nominative form of the noun would refer to the narrator as a character or voice within the text, while narratorem, as the accusative, is used in constructions where the narrator is the object of narration or part of a larger noun phrase. A common example construction is narratorem fabulae or narratorem historiae, meaning “the narrator of the story/history.” Through such phrases, authors specify who is recounting the events being described.

The concept of the narrator in Latin literature encompasses various narrative voices. Some texts present an in-universe narrator who is a character within the story (a homodiegetic narrator), while others employ an external commentator (a heterodiegetic narrator). Latin scholarship often analyzes these voices to understand perspective, reliability, and narrative distance, topics that continue to inform modern narratology.

Etymologically, narratorem is built from narro, narrare and related forms that emphasize storytelling and recounting. The term remains a standard reference in Latin grammar and literary studies when discussing who relates the events of a text and how that narration shapes interpretation. See also narratio, narratus, and narrare.