The effect can be to create a little more distance between narrator and reader

The effect can be to create a little more distance between narrator and reader

• A. Voice
• B. Third-person narrative
• C. Omniscient narrator
• D. Narrative point of view

Answer: (B)

Understanding how narrative distance works helps explain this. When a story is told in third-person, the narrator stands outside the characters and describes events from an external vantage, using pronouns like he, she, they. That external stance creates a gentle separation between the narrator and the reader, so you’re observing from a step back rather than being inside a character’s mind. This is exactly the effect described: a little more distance. First-person voice would pull you closer because the narrator speaks from within their own experiences. Omniscient narration is still third-person but often comes with broader commentary, which can vary the distance, sometimes increasing it. Narrative point of view is a broader term that includes both first- and third-person perspectives, but the specific distance mentioned fits the external frame of a third-person narrative.

Understanding how narrative distance works helps explain this. When a story is told in third-person, the narrator stands outside the characters and describes events from an external vantage, using pronouns like he, she, they. That external stance creates a gentle separation between the narrator and the reader, so you’re observing from a step back rather than being inside a character’s mind. This is exactly the effect described: a little more distance.

First-person voice would pull you closer because the narrator speaks from within their own experiences. Omniscient narration is still third-person but often comes with broader commentary, which can vary the distance, sometimes increasing it. Narrative point of view is a broader term that includes both first- and third-person perspectives, but the specific distance mentioned fits the external frame of a third-person narrative.