great works ii – 2850 jta 12:25-2:05: love letters from the world

Differences between first, second and third person:

Yes, readers often feel as if they are “directly involved in the story” (Muneeb, Maria, Tara) and it’s interesting that he notes it was more difficult to translate the 2^nd person into the third person; you switch from an observer (3^rd person) to an actor (Daphne); Interestingly, Jamie doesn’t see a difference between these choices, and certainly all readers have different reactions; Katerina agrees that it doesn’t seem to make a difference (but she also agrees that it makes the reader more “involved” in the story, so could that possibly be the difference?); Jacqueline makes an interesting comment about switching from third person to second person, when she says: “you almost forget who the author is talking about: him or me?” This comment gives a good deal of insight into the choice of point of view and the involvement of the reader, I think; Francesca said it was easier to imagine what was happening in the second person; Bintou points out that when we switch to the first or third person, we also seem to want to switch to the past tense (the original is in the present tense) and the present is, of course, much more immediate, giving more a sense of urgency; Susana points out that the first person “grabs” our attention much more than the third (Preston agrees); Joseph reminds us that the first person could also put us in the shoes of the protagonist, and I wonder if the second person, however, is more intrusive? Keauna seems to agree when she says that in the second person, the reader “gets the sense that (s)he is being told what to do” (and Jinwoo agrees); Bintou says that the second person feels “more real” and the third person seems to be just informing us of something; Daphne makes a very interesting comment when she suggests that each “person” gives a “different perspective to the story.” Rebecca makes the comment that the second person is like being “hypnotized,” and yes, there is a trancelike quality to this; Songyun makes the interesting observation that the second person is like “taking the reader on a journey through Felipe’s stream of consciousness,” and Tara and Michelle feel it is simply more emotional; Jorge G. feels that first person is a “happy medium” between second and third (interesting!);