first-person point of view

Definition:

The use of I, me, we and other first-person pronouns to relate the thoughts, experiences, and observations of a narrator in a work of fiction (a short story or novel) or nonfiction (an essay, memoir, or autobiography).

Most of the texts in our collection of Classic British and American Essays rely on the first-person point of view. See, for instance, "How It Feels to Be Colored Me," by Zora Neale Hurston, and "What Life Means to Me," by Jack London.

See also:

• First-Person Pronouns
• Narrative
• Person
• Persona
• Point of View
• Second-Person Point of View and Third-Person Point of View
• Voice (Rhetoric)
• What Is an Essay?

Examples and Observations:

• "In most books, the I, or first person, is omitted; in this it will be retained; that, in respect to egotism, is the main difference. We commonly do not remember that it is, after all, always the first person that is speaking."
  (Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854)



• "That's one thing I love about the first-person: It's such a great place to hide, especially with essays."
  (Sarah Vowell, interviewed by Dave in "The Incredible, Entertaining Sarah Vowell." PowellsBooks.Blog, May 31, 2005)



• "Many people think they should avoid the pronoun I in technical writing. Such practice, however, often leads to awkward sentences, with people referring to themselves in the third person as one or as the writer instead of as I.

  One [substitute I] can only conclude that the absorption rate is too fast.

  However, do not use the personal point of view when an impersonal point of view would be more appropriate or more effective because you need to emphasize the subject matter over the writer or the reader. In the following example, it does not help to personalize the situation; in fact, the impersonal version may be more tactful.

  Personal
  I received objections to my proposal from several of your managers.
  
  Impersonal
  Several managers have raised objections to the proposal.

  Whether you adopt a personal or an impersonal point of view depends on the purpose and the readers of the document."
  (Gerald J. Alred et al., Handbook of Technical Writing. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006)



• "While personal narrative does usually rely on strong voice for success, not all narratives need be personal, and many become muddled by the ill-considered use of the first person. . . .
  
  "The line between self-expression and self-indulgence can be hard to discern. Test every temptation to use I, and try other devices if you care about voice."
  (Constance Hale, Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose. Broadway Books, 1999)



• "There are three sorts of we in business. There is the we that executives use to show that everyone is one happy family. There is the new fashionable we about crowds and social networks. And there is the traditional we that refers to we, the workers.
  
  "The first we is phoney and to be avoided. The second is interesting, if a little overrated. The third, though deeply unfashionable, is essential, and any manager who doesn’t understand it isn’t going to get anywhere. . . .
  
  "By far my favourite is We #3, which is the natural, colloquial we used by a group of workers."
  (Lucy Kellaway, "We Are Not Family." Financial Times, Aug. 20, 2007)

Also Known As: first-person narrative, personal point of view, personal discourse