First person vs. Second person vs. Third person - Rebekah Bergman

譯者: Ann Chen 審譯者: Helen Chang

“I am an invisible man.”

「我是個隱形人。」

“Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.”

「戴洛維夫人說她會自己去買花。」

“You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino's new novel.”

「你正要開始閱讀 伊塔羅·卡爾維諾的新小說。」

These three opening lines, from Ralph Ellison’s "Invisible Man,"

上面三句是這三本書的第一句， 拉爾夫·艾里森的《隱形人》、

Virginia Woolf’s "Mrs. Dalloway,"

維吉尼亞·吳爾芙的《戴洛維夫人》

and Italo Calvino’s "If on a winter’s night a traveler,"

和伊塔羅·卡爾維諾的 《如果在冬夜，一個旅人》，

each establish a different point of view.

各建立了不同的角度看法。

Who is telling a story, and from what perspective,

誰在說故事，以及從什麼觀點說，

are some of the most important choices an author makes.

是作者最重要的幾個選擇。

Told from a different point of view, a story can transform completely.

從另外一個角度來敘說， 會使故事完全改觀。

Take this fairytale:

以這個童話為例：

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel," the Prince called, "let down your hair."

王子喊著：「長髮公主，長髮公主， 將妳頭髮垂放下來。」

Rapunzel unbraided her hair and slung it out the window.

長髮公主解開她的辮子， 並將它扔出窗外。

The prince climbed her tresses into the tower.

王子攀爬她的長髮，進入了城堡。

Rapunzel is typically told like this, with the narrator outside the story.

長髮公主的故事通常是 以敘述者是局外人來講述的。

This point of view is called third person.

這樣的角度，叫做 「第三人稱」。

But Rapunzel can also be told by a character in the story—

但長髮公主也可以由 故事中的角色來陳述──

a first person narrator.

第一人稱敘述者。

The tail end of Rapunzel’s locks plopped down at my feet.

長髮公主髮束的尾端落在我腳邊，

I grabbed on and began to climb… ugh!

我抓緊並開始爬……哎呀！

I couldn’t untangle myself.

我無法將自己從這一團頭髮中解開，

Strands came off all over me, sticking to my sweat.

落下的頭髮覆蓋了我全身， 在我汗水上黏住。

In a first person narrative, the story can change dramatically

以第一人稱敘述時，

依據哪個角色是敘述者， 故事可因而大大改變。

depending on which character is the narrator.

Say Rapunzel was narrating instead of the prince:

如果不是王子， 而是由長髮公主來說故事：

I hope he appreciates how long it takes to unbraid 25 feet of hair, I thought.

我心想，希望他感謝我花了大把時間 解開 25 呎長的辮子。

OUCH! I'll be honest; I thought my scalp would stretch off of my skull.

哎喲！說實在；

我以為頭皮會從頭殼上被扯掉。

"Can you climb any faster?" I yelled.

我大叫：「你能不能爬快一點？」

In second person, the narrator addresses the story to the reader:

用第二人稱時 敘述者直接對讀者講故事：

He calls your name. He wants you to let your hair down.

他叫妳的名字。

他要妳把頭髮垂放下來。

You just finished braiding it, but hey– you don't get a lot of visitors.

妳才剛剛編好辮子，

不過 ──妳不常有訪客。

Third person, first person, and second person perspectives

第三、第一及第二人稱的角度，

each have unique possibilities and constraints.

各有其獨特的可能性和限制。

So how do you choose a point of view for your story?

那麼你要如何選擇故事的角度呢？

Constraints aren’t necessarily a bad thing—

限制並不全然是壞事──

they can help focus a story or highlight certain elements.

它們可協助故事聚焦， 或強調某些內容。

For example,

例如：

a third person narrator is necessarily a bit removed from the characters.

第三人稱必然會跟角色有些距離，

But that can be good for stories where a feeling of distance is important.

但當故事的距離感很重要時， 第三人稱是有益的。

A third person narrator can be either limited,

第三人稱敘述者可以 「有限（limited）」 ，

meaning they stick close to one character’s thoughts and feelings,

就是貼近某個角色的想法和感覺；

or they can be omniscient, able to flit between characters’ minds

或「無所不知（omniscient）」，

悠遊於諸多角色的想法中， 提供讀者更多的訊息。

and give the reader more information.

A first person story creates closeness between the reader and the narrator.

第一人稱的故事 能拉近讀者與敘述者，

It’s also restricted by the narrator’s knowledge.

也受限於敘述者的所見所聞。

This can create suspense

這會製造懸疑感，

as the reader finds out information along with the character.

因為讀者是和角色一起發現訊息。

A first person narrator doesn’t necessarily

第一人稱敘述者未必

have to represent the character’s experience faithfully—

得要如實地描寫角色的經驗──

they can be delusional or dishonest.

它們也可能是錯覺或謊言。

In Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel "The Remains of the Day,"

在石黑一雄的小說《長日將盡》裡，

Stevens, an aging British butler in 1956, recounts his many years of service,

年長的英國貴族管家史蒂文斯 於 1956 年重述他多年的服侍生涯，

but fails to acknowledge the flaws of the man he serves.

但對於他主人的缺點隻字不提。

The cracks in his narrative eventually draw the reader’s attention

他故事中的缺陷最後讓讀者注意到

to the under-acknowledged failings of the culture and class system

他所處的文化與階級制度的隱憂。

he inhabits.

Justin Torres’s novel, "We the Animals,"

賈斯汀·托雷斯的小說《我們這些動物》

begins with a plural first person narrator:

以多位第一人稱開始，

“We were six snatching hands, six stomping feet;

「我們是六隻一直爭搶的手， 六隻一直踩踏的腳；

we were brothers, boys, three little kings locked in a feud for more.”

我們是兄弟，小男孩， 三個一直在爭奪的小國王。」

Partway through the story, the point of view shifts

故事行經一半， 視角轉移成單一的第一人稱，

to first person singular, from we to I, as the boys come of age

從「我們」變成「我」，

發生在男孩們長大， 而其中一位感覺被其他兄弟疏離時。

and one brother feels alienated from the others.

Second person is a less common choice.

第二人稱比較少被用到，

It requires the writer to make the reader suspend disbelief to become another “you.”

它需要作者讓讀者 暫時相信自己變成那個「你」。

Placing the reader in a character’s perspective

讓讀者置身於其中一位角色的看法，

can build urgency and suspense.

能編造出急迫性與懸疑感。

Sometimes, though,

然而有時候，

second person is intended to distance the narrator from their own story,

第二人稱會企圖把敘述者 與他們自己的故事拉開，

rather than bring the reader closer to the story.

而不是讓讀者更接近故事。

In these cases,

在此情況下，

second person narrators refer to themselves as “you” rather than “I.”

第二人稱敘述者將自己 看成「你」而不是「我」。

Writers are constantly experimenting with fresh variations on point of view.

作者持續嘗試各種觀點的新變化。

New virtual and augmented reality technologies

新的虛擬及擴增實境技術

may expand the possibilities for this experimentation.

或許能擴展這種實驗的可能性。

By placing people at a particular vantage point in virtual space,

藉著讓人置身於 虛擬世界的某個特殊觀看位置，

how might we change the way we tell and experience stories?

我們能如何改變 敘述和感受故事的方法？