Omniscient point of view

The Britannica Dictionary defines the omniscient point of view as a "common point of view, in which, in the third person grammatically, the author presents a panoramic view of both the actions and the inner feelings of the characters". Alongside the "first person view" it is known as the most often used type of narration in literature. 

The omniscient point of view gives both the author and the audience, an entry point into the minds of different characters, often times with full context, not limited by personal bias or the knowledge of a given character. An omniscient narrator is just that - omniscient. Not bound to one person, not reliant on their emotions. Often times, the omniscient narrator can have feelings of their own, some sort of a personality, (mostly tied somewhat to the author, but not always), that, while all-knowing, may possess opinions that will not align themselves with the characters or the setting. 

Some known examples of an omniscient point of view can be seen in the works of such famous writers as Neil Gaiman or Frank Herbert. Both created massive and rich worlds, blooming with life. Their works, like the Sandman comic book series by Gaiman, and the main core of the Dune saga, done by Herbert, present different groups of characters and intriguing plots happening independently from each other, often times between long distances of time and space. 

Herbert uses the omniscience of his narrations through historical context, as his books are (in the world presented), written by historians, who have all the knowledge about a given moment, as the story presents a rise of a despot, known across the universe.

Gaiman on the other hand, often uses humor and sarcasm in his narrations, to sometimes remind the reader of the absurdity of a given situation, or simply for his own amusement. Like with his commonly negative descriptions of the nordic god - Thor, in his reindicion of the Norse Mythology.

Sources:
F. Herbert, Dune, translated by M. Marszał, Publishing House Rebis, Poznań 2021.
N. Gaiman, Norse mythology. Bloomsbury Publishing, UK 2020.
"Point of view" from Britannica Dictionary, © 2024 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. https://www.britannica.com/art/point-of-view-literature-and-film

Paweł Ciarka, 560752