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The Art of Perspective: Who Tells the Story Paperback – January 5, 2016

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 82 ratings
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A writer may have a story to tell, a sense of plot, and strong characters, but for all of these to come together some key questions must be answered. What form should the narrator take? An omniscient, invisible force, or one--or more--of the characters? But in what voice, and from what vantage point? How to decide? Avoiding prescriptive instructions or arbitrary rules, Christopher Castellani brilliantly examines the various ways writers have solved the crucial point-of-view problem. By unpacking the narrative strategies at play in the work of writers as different as E. M. Forster, Grace Paley, and Tayeb Salih, among many others, he illustrates how the author's careful manipulation of distance between narrator and character drives the story. An insightful work by an award-winning novelist and the artistic director of GrubStreet, The Art of Perspective is a fascinating discussion on a subject of perpetual interest to any writer.
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Previous page
  1. Part of series
    Art of.
  2. Print length
    160 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Graywolf Press
  5. Publication date
    January 5, 2016
  6. Dimensions
    5 x 0.45 x 6.9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    155597726X
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1555977269
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A close look at writers' crucial choices. The latest contributor to The Art of series, novelist and Guggenheim Fellow Castellani offers an attentive reading of works by E.M. Forster, Lorrie Moore, Zoe Heller, Grace Paley, and Tayeb Salih, among others, to illuminate "the how and why" of narration...A modest, gracefully written meditation on creativity and craft." -- Kirkus Reviews
"This is not a book of prescriptions for writers, but more a study of principles through examples. Castellani describes his way of deciding on the right perspective for one of his story ideas, and examines various strategies in the works of others... Castellani thinks and writes with great perception and clarity. Anyone with an interest in how good stories are constructed will findthis book both enjoyable and useful...A perceptive and thorough consideration ofthe role of perspective in storytelling." -- Shelf Awareness (Starred Review)
"Castellani's lucid exploration into the mechanics ofnarrative means The Art of Perspective is a pleasure to read foranyone curious why the stories we love move us the way they do; why so often itis not the sequence of events or some happening of the plot that compels us toturn the page, but a voice--be it forthright or deceptive--at the heart of thestory...While the series may be of most interest to writers, Castellanidiscusses fiction in such an accessible and engaging manner that the bookshould prove compelling to anyone who is curious about why some of theirfavorite novels work the way they do." -Zyzzyva
"A master class -- in 140 pages -- on how various narrative strategies make novels tick." - The Boston Globe
"A little gem of a book filled with wit and wisdom." - Catherine Ramsdell, Popmatters

About the Author

Christopher Castellani is the author of three novels, including All This Talk of Love. He is the artistic director of GrubStreet and teaches in the MFA program at Warren Wilson College. He was recently awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for fiction.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Graywolf Press (January 5, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 155597726X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1555977269
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.45 x 6.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 82 ratings

About the author

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Christopher Castellani

Christopher Castellani

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Christopher Castellani’s fourth novel, Leading Men, for which he received a Guggenheim Fellowship, was published by Viking in February 2019. The novel received a rave review from Dwight Garner in the New York Times, where it was an Editors' Choice; it received similarly positive reviews from People, Entertainment Weekly, Interview, and The Washington Post, among other outlets. He is also the author of three other novels: All This Talk of Love (2013) -- a New York Times Editors' Choice -- A Kiss from Maddalena (2003) -- winner of the Massachusetts Book Award -- and The Saint of Lost Things (2005). His book of essays on point of view in fiction, The Art of Perspective: Who Tells the Story, was published by Graywolf in 2016.

The son of Italian immigrants and a native of Wilmington, Delaware, Christopher now lives in Boston, where he works as artistic director of Grub Street, one of the country's leading independent creative writing centers. He is on the faculty of the Warren Wilson College Low-Residency MFA program and the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. He has been recently awarded fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the St. Botolph Club. In 2013, he won the Barnes & Noble/Poets & Writers "Writer for Writers" Award in recognition of his contributions to the literary community.

Christopher was educated at Swarthmore College, received his Masters in English Literature from Tufts University, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Boston University.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
82 global ratings
Quality book with a surprise!
5 Stars
Quality book with a surprise!
The quality of the book itself is very good (and exactly as described), but I was very surprised to find the author's signature on the inside! Overall, very satisfied.
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Top reviews from the United States

Calligrapher
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Perspective About Perspective
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2019
Verified Purchase
I’ve read a lot of pronouncements about writing, have made them when teaching (even wrote a book with lots of them) and almost none help generate a good conversation about one’s own work. But The Art of Perspective is such a generous, lucid sharing of a writer’s thoughts about narrative strategies, it helped me think about a book I’m wrestling with. Rather than tell you what narrative strategy is, Castellani illuminates his own arm-wrestling with narrative strategy and this opens the door to a kind of meta-understanding of what thinking about strategy is and how to talk to oneself about narrative strategy. Castellani talks about different forms of perspective, ranging from Foster to Paley, from Lydia Davis to Lorrie Moore--up-close, detached, voice-generated. And by making perspective and point of view interchangeable with narrative strategy, he makes it clear that he sees perspective as defining the over-arching structure of narrative. His book might be called What We Should Be Talking About When We Talk About Writing-a kind of meditation about perspective and point of view that captures the way writers think--in general and about writing. Castellanii never lets you forget that we are also dealing with his particular perspective and this imbues the books with a sense of intimacy without self-involvement. If you are a writer, you will recognize a way of thinking. And if you're not, you will nonetheless recognize yourself in this double dream we all share as we balance living with private thoughts about how we live--and reconstruct experiences from different perspectives in order to understand them. I have been involved in several MFA programs and endured many boring opinions about writing. And I am so rarely gobsmacked This book was, like, amazing . A big thank you to Castellani.
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Joseph K. DeRosa
5.0 out of 5 stars Castellani nailed it!
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2020
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Many years ago, a snarky young woman in a writers’ group told me the point of view (POV) of my story was all screwed up. She seemed well-informed, educated, self-assured, so I took her criticism with my usual grace. I wondered, “What is this idiot talking about.” Since then, I have paid a lot of attention to POV in novels and in essays on POV. This is the first book that I think nailed the whole concept. Naming POV the Art of Perspective was the first indicator that Castellani knew what he was talking about. He relegated the I-you-he-she-it explanation of POV to the she-it pile where it belongs. The text goes far beyond the subtitle Who Tells The Story. Detailed examples from well-known stories, as well as his own writings, illuminate all those things you learned in school—omni, close third, etc.—in a way that gives you confidence you know how to use the POV tools at hand. Caution: don’t read the first line unless you plan to buy the book. You won’t be able to put it down.
2 people found this helpful
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Emsie
4.0 out of 5 stars A slim but meaty book about point of view
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2016
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An insightful discussion of point-of-view. Mr. Castellani. a writing teacher, is scholarly but never pedantic, and he dares to fly in the face of prevailing conventional wisdom. The choice of perspective is THE essential choice in writing fiction, and serious writers ought not to be limited by facile prescriptions pushed on them by the literary establishment. I would like to see Castellani tackle this subject in a longer book someday, as there is still much to be said on the subject.
One person found this helpful
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Chuck Selvaggio
5.0 out of 5 stars you’re left feeling that you’re a better writer, reader
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2016
Verified Purchase
“The Art of Perspective” by Christopher Castellani. “The Art of…..” series is a collection of books edited by Charles Baxter. Each focuses on one aspect of literature and “The Art of Perspective” is devoted to the importance of who is telling the story and what implications and consequences ride on this choice for the writer, the reader, and the characters themselves. You’d have an idea of how enjoyable these essays are if you can recall being in a class and having the walls of the classroom disappear. Initially, you attended for a less-than-exciting reason, but soon you were hoping the class wouldn’t end. Chris’s own perspective on his art is shot through with a humility and a strength that confidently take the reader to knowledge in a way that’s … well…fun. And before you know it, you’re left feeling that you’re a better writer, reader, or (God help us) critic because you’re more aware and appreciative of much you’ve once taken for granted. Like his fiction, the essays in this little book sparkle and are propelled by whatever it is (because ultimately, who can really describe these things?) that moves a big talent. Just wonderful!
4 people found this helpful
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Kim Quilter
5.0 out of 5 stars Goes beyond basic, obvious tips.
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2016
Verified Purchase
So, if you're a writer and you're tired of books that just define things in an over-simplified and unhelpful manner, then you've been waiting for this book. In essence, it assumes that you know what point of view is...but it deepens the explanation of why the narrator's perspective makes a difference in the work that you're writing. The logic is very clearly explained in terms of what each point of view method achieves in a story.

I think this is a nice step up from books that seem to cover writing techniques in basically the same way. Castellani's explanations go deeper into the close relationship between a story and who's telling the story. And if you really take your time with this book and think thoughtfully over its examples, it should illuminate your own best approach to telling your story.
4 people found this helpful
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Carol DeChant
5.0 out of 5 stars Deciding Who Tells Your Story
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2020
Verified Purchase
I’ve read several books on perspective —such a big decision for a writer. Richard Russo’s & Walter Mosley’s were perhaps more helpful to me, perhaps because I read them first & I’m a big fan of both. I’m glad I bought & read this one, however, & have even ordered a novel by Castellani, with whom I was unfamiliar. He’s made me curious about his own perspective choices. Confession: I ordered this mainly because I love this book’s cover by (it says in 2-pt. Print ) Scott Sorensen.
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Amy
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Analysis of POV in Fiction
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2020
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This book is just what I was looking for—a writer’s analysis of narrator point of view in fiction. The book is very well written. The author is both a fiction writer and an academic which allows him to take a deep dive into this element of craft that is well reasoned, well researched, scholarly AND practical.
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Top reviews from other countries

Willow
5.0 out of 5 stars A keeper of a book!
Reviewed in Canada on September 26, 2019
Verified Purchase
Fell right into 'mutual' like with the writer. I say mutual because you feel he wrote it just for you, because he likes you. His style is so candid. The way he tells you things you feel so honoured, to be made privy to his life. Makes you think, makes you get excited about your writing again, makes you wrap your head around who is telling your story, and is it the person who should be. Makes the wheels and cogs start turning: what if this person was telling the story? Or, what about this person? How will it change based upon whose perspective we're experiencing it through. A real keeper of a book.
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