"I am an invisible man." "Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself." "You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino's new novel." These three opening lines, from Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, and Italo Calvino's If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, each establish a different point of view.
「我是個隱形人。」「達洛維夫人說她會自己去買花。」「你現在即將要讀的是 Italo Calvino 的新小說。」這分別是三部小說的開場白，Ralph Ellison 的《隱形人》、Virginia Woolf 的《達洛維夫人》和 Italo Calvino 的《如果在冬夜，一個旅人》，每一部都用不同的視角書寫。
Who is telling a story and from what perspective are some of the most important choices an author makes. Told from a different point of view, a story can transform completely. Take this fairy tale.
誰在說故事、從哪個角度說故事，這可說是作者最重要的決定。只要換個敘事角度，故事就有可能大大改變。用這個童話故事舉例吧。
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel," the prince called, "let down your hair." Rapunzel unbraided her hair and slung it out the window. The prince climbed her tresses into the tower.
「長髮姑娘、長髮姑娘，」王子喊著：「放下妳的頭髮。」長髮姑娘拆開她編好的頭髮，將頭髮從窗戶放下去。王子抓著她的頭髮爬進塔裡。
Rapunzel is typically told like this, with the narrator outside the story. This point of view is called "third person." But Rapunzel can also be told by a character in the story—a first-person narrator.
《長髮公主》的敘事角度通常都是這樣，有一個故事之外的旁白。這種視角稱為「第三人稱視角」。但也可以讓《長髮公主》裡的角色敘述故事－－第一人稱敘述者。
The tail end of Rapunzel's locks plopped down at my feet. I grabbed on and began to climb. Ugh, I couldn't untangle myself. Strands came off all over me, sticking to my sweat.
長髮姑娘的髮尾落下到我腳邊。我抓住頭髮，開始往上爬。呃，被頭髮纏住了，無法解開。一縷縷的頭髮散落全身，被我滿身的汗黏住。
In a first-person narrative, the story can change dramatically, depending on which character is the narrator. Say Rapunzel was narrating instead of the prince.
用第一人稱敘事，故事會戲劇性地轉變，這就要看哪個角色是敘事者。例如將敘事者從王子換成長髮公主。
I hope he appreciates how long it takes to unbraid 25 feet of hair, I thought. Ouch! I'll be honest; I thought my scalp would stretch off my skull. "Can you climb any faster?" I yelled.
我得花大把時間才能解開這 7.6 公尺長的辮子，希望他知道要感激，我想著。噢嗚!沒騙你；我一度覺得頭皮快從頭蓋骨上被扯掉了。「你可以爬快一點嗎？」我大喊。
In second person, the narrator addresses the story to the reader.
運用第二人稱視角時，旁白會直接對著讀者講述故事。
He calls your name. He wants you to let your hair down; you just finished braiding it. But, hey, you don't get a lot of visitors.
他叫了妳的名字。他要妳把頭髮放下來；但妳才剛編好頭髮。但，嘿，不常有人來找妳。
Third-person, first-person, and second-person perspectives—each have unique possibilities and constraints. So, how do you choose a point of view for your story? Constraints aren't necessarily a bad thing. They can help focus a story or highlight certain elements. For example, a third-person narrator is necessarily a bit removed from the characters. But that can be good for stories where a feeling of distance is important. A third-person narrator can be either limited—meaning they stick close to one character's thoughts and feelings, or they can be omniscient—able to flit between characters' minds and give the reader more information.
第三人稱、第一人稱、第二人稱視角－－每種都有獨特的可能性和限制性。那你要怎麼選擇你故事的視角呢？限制並不一定是壞事。限制性能讓你的故事有焦點，或能強調特定元素。例如，第三人稱敘述者一定會稍微從故事角色中抽離。但對於需要創造距離感的故事來說，這是好事。第三人稱視角可能是有限的－－意思是他們會緊貼某個角色的想法和感受，也可能是全知的－－能夠切換不同角色間的想法，給讀者更多資訊。
A first-person story creates closeness between the reader and the narrator. It's also restricted by the narrator's knowledge. This can create suspense as the reader finds out information along with the character. A first-person narrator doesn't necessarily have to represent the character's experience faithfully. They can be delusional or dishonest. In Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, The Remains of the Day, Stevens, an aging British butler in 1956, recounts his many years of service but fails to acknowledge the flaws of the man he serves. The cracks in his narrative eventually draw the readers' attention to the under-acknowledged failings of the culture and class system he inhabits.
第一人稱的故事拉近讀者與敘事者間的距離。這種方式也會因敘事者的所見所聞而有所限制。這能讓讀者跟著角色一起發現事件，創造懸疑感。第一人稱敘事者不一定要忠實呈現角色的體驗。他們可以是幻想且不誠實的。在石黑一雄的小說《長日將盡》中，主角 Stevens 是一位上了年紀的英國管家，他在 1956 年回顧了自己多年擔任管家的經驗，卻絕口不提主人身上的缺點。他敘事中的缺漏最終讓讀者注意到當時他身處的文化與階級體系下的隱憂。
Justin Torres' novel, We the Animals, begins with a plural first-person narrator."We were six snatching hands, six stomping feet; we were brothers, boys, three little kings locked in a feud for more." Partway through the story, the point of view shifts to first person singular, from "we" to "I," as the boys come of age and one brother feels alienated from the others.
Justin Torres 的小說《我們這些動物》是以多重第一人稱敘事者開始。「我們是六隻不斷搶奪的手、六隻重踩地板的腳；我們是兄弟、男孩、 三個長期相互爭奪的小王子。」故事進行到一半時，敘事視角變成單獨的第一人稱敘事者，從「我們」變成「我」，此時男孩們剛成年，而其中一人覺得自己被其他兩個兄弟疏離。
Second person is a less common choice. It requires the writer to make the reader suspend disbelief to become another "you." Placing a reader in a character's perspective can build urgency and suspense. Sometimes, though, second person is intended to distance the narrator from their own story rather than bring the reader closer to the story. In these cases, second-person narrators refer to themselves as "you" rather than "I."
第二人稱視角是較少見的選擇。這會需要作者讓讀者深信自己是故事中的那個「你」。將讀者置於角色的觀點可以創造急迫性與懸疑感。有時候，第二人稱視角反而是要企圖讓敘事者與自身故事拉開距離，而不是讓讀者更貼近故事。在這類情況下，第二人稱敘事者會稱自己為「你」而非「我」。
Writers are constantly experimenting with fresh variations on point of view. New virtual and augmented reality technologies may expand the possibilities for this experimentation. By placing people at a particular vantage point in virtual space, how might we change the way we tell and experience stories?
作家持續嘗試新的、不同的視角。新興的虛擬與擴增實境科技也許能拓展這類實驗的可能性。透過將人置於虛擬空間的某種觀點，我們能夠如何改變敘述與體驗故事的方式呢？
