Writing in Second Person Point of View

Second Person in Classic Literary Works, Novels and Short Stories

Jun 12, 2009

Most books are written in first or third person. Only the most creative and experimental write in second person-the "you" point of view.

Second person is by far the least used point of view in fiction. It comes with some very severe obstacles. Second person requires the reader not only to step into the head of the protagonist, but into his very shoes. The reader BECOMES the protagonist.

In turn, second person requires the writer to become at one with the reader. The writer must convince the reader that the events are happening to him personally and that he is seeing and experiencing these events through his own eyes. Second person is often used in conjunction with present tense because both add immediacy to a scene.

Second person point of view is usually limited to shorter works. It is more commonly used in nonfiction than in fiction, such as in certain instructional or advice-giving articles. It makes the lesson up close and personal rather than formal. Second person is also used in interactive books, such as the young adult Choose your Own Adventure series, where choices are made by the reader, and the outcome is open-ended.

Second Person as a Prologue

Second person may be used as a prologue to a story that will be told in third person. Something to this effect, You walk up the broken steps, you peer into the window, and you see the ghostly form that is still haunting Hill House lurking within.. Then the main story may begin in third person, with what happened to the last inhabitants. An example of a prologue in second person, present tense can be found at the beginnng of Thomas H. Cook’s mystery, The Cloud of Unknowing.

It is very awkward to sustain second person for long periods of time. It would be very difficult to write an entire book in second person, and very awkward to conclude events happening to “you”. If the writer says, “he died,” the reader might believe it. However if the writer says “you are now dead,” a reader would balk at the idea because it suspends belief. Second person is best used in a limited way, as a prologue, in certain chapters or passages to heighten suspense, or in a short story.

Second Person in Literary Works

A few modern and post-modern literary works are written in second person. Experimental writers are more likely to give it a try. A few classic writers, mostly short story authors, have written some of their works in second person. Authors who have works written in second person include Nathaniel Hawthorne, William Faulkner and John Updike.

Second Person in Short Stories

Short stories that contain horror and suspense may work well in second person because this point of view makes it seem the events are happening directly to the reader, not some other party. It brings the events up close and personal and heightens tension. For example, a reader may encounter lines such as, “You are walking up the stairs. A hideous, scaly hand reaches for you. You scream…”

Examples of Novels with Chapters or Lengthy Passages in Second Person (few full-length novels are written entirely in second person)

Short Stories in Second Person

The copyright of the article Writing in Second Person Point of View in Fiction Plots & Pacing is owned by Vickie Britton. Permission to republish Writing in Second Person Point of View in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.