Writing Advice: What is Focalization?

Some say that focalization is the same thing as point of view. But it’s actually more subtle.

Third-person limited is a really good perspective for explaining how focalization works. Harry Potter is a classic example of third-person limited, where the world of witches and wizards is presented to us through Harry. But, we also see the other characters strictly from his perspective. This means that the audience is ignorant about the true intentions of Snape, Dumbledore, and the other adult characters.

The mysteries unfold in a way that’s intriguing because we only have Harry’s very limited point of view when it comes to the character's motivations and history. And the limitations of his perspective become clearer throughout the book series as we learn about the complicated past of the characters. Their pasts and reasoning don’t fit into his simple, straightforward view of people and morality in the first book.

In contrast, third-person omniscient allows for the exploration of many perspectives. The writer can look into the thoughts of any character, so the gaps in one character's knowledge and worldview can be filled by another character. Little Women uses third-person omniscient, with Louisa May Alcott exploring the thoughts of the sisters, as well as others to tell the audience information the sisters aren’t privy to at the time.

So, focalization is more defined by the limitations of a character’s point of view, rather than just their point of view.