He or I?

corblimey

I'm reading through a few Lee Child Jack Reacher novels and I notice that he switches between 'he' and 'I' between books seemingly without any sort of pattern. I've noticed it in other serials too like the Connolly Bosch books. I think I prefer 'he', but I wonder how others feel.

ETA: Badly phrased, but I'm just wondering whether people prefer third person viewpoints when reading a novel or first person viewpoints.

Dades

Although I've read some amazing 1st person reads (On The Road, Shantaram) generally I won't read one unless it's got an amazing concept or amazing reviews.

I prefer to be 'outside' the story.

Eliot Rosewater

Thats actually a very interesting question! To be honest I think it depends a lot on the book. Would Catcher in the Rye be loved so much if it was written in the third person? Probably not. Equally some books use the limited field of view a single character offers to create certain effects, for example the innocent viewpoint of Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird, which clearly adds to the book immensity.

Authors such as Ernest Hemingway write predominately in the third person yet from their style you are as much inside the character as outside through the stream of consciousness technique. For Whom the Bells Toll would be a good example of this.

Breakfast of Champions (Kurt Vonnegut) is really interesting as the book is written in the third person but the narrator actually appears (refereed to in the first person, obviously) in a small number of scenes. It is interesting the way Vonnegut then gets characters you feel somewhat distant to interact with the actual narrator. Well worth a read for a different slant on this topic.

Finally, you have some novels that would, in my opinion, never work in the first person as they are surveyors of large groups and events. Example: Lord of the Flies.


In conclusion my answer is: "Indeterminable"

Eoin

I much prefer the 3rd person, even if it's solely from the point of view of the protagonist - i.e. you only know what they're thinking, and everyone else is just described from their point of view. If it's 1st person and there are scenes not involving him/her, then it has to switch to 3rd person anyway and it gets a bit messy I think.

I have enjoyed a few books where the first person narrative changes from character to character. Some of Irvine Welsh's books are a good example, as the phonetics change depending on the accent of each character.

Tar.Aldarion

I love a mix of both, especially seeing what one character thinks that is flawed and I gain insight into what and why tehy are thinking something.


Poll would ahve been better if you put a fourth option: 'He could not care less'.

ReacherCreature

Definitely prefer I. Always did for some reason. But it won't stop me reading the book if I think it'll be decent.