[PW] Re: Grammar question

[John P. Dyson]

Quoting Andrew Warren <awarren at synaptics.com>:

> The third-person point of view is the omniscient one; third-person
> narratives use pronouns like "he" and "she", and most novels are written
> in that form.
>
> Second-person is the imperative form; the pronoun is "you", and it's
> rare (outside the realm of cookbooks and other how-to books) to see it
> used in print... But if you're giving someone instructions, you might
> find the second-person form most natural.  For example, "When someone
> asks you a question that you can't answer, tell them you don't know but
> you'll find out and get back to them as soon as possible."
>
> First-person is from the "I" point of view: "Let's say I'm a reference
> librarian and I'm asked a question I can't answer.  I say, 'I don't
> know... Lemme ask the Project Wombat list.'"


For a virtuoso novel written in all three persons, may I recommend _The 
Death of Artemio Cruz_ by Mexican author Carlos Fuentes?

John Dyson
Spanish and Portuguese
Indiana University