Someone is asking in a literary forum for an example of a change of POV in the writing of a noted writer.
Well, here is a remarkable, IMHO, change of person and POV in the work of Haruki Murakami:
____
"What
are you thinking about?" Miss Saeki asks me.
"About
going to Spain," I reply.
"What
are you going to do there?"
"Eat
some delicious paella."
"That's
all?"
"And
fight in the Spanish Civil War."
"That
ended over sixty years ago."
"I
know," I tell her. "Lorca died, and Hemingway survived."
"But
you want to be a part of it."
I nod.
"Yup. Blow up bridges and stuff."
"And
fall in love with Ingrid Bergman."
"But
in reality I'm here in Takamatsu. And I'm love with you."
"Tough
luck."
I put my arm
around her.
You put your arm around her.
She
leans against you. And a long spell of time passes.
"Did
you know that I did this exact same thing [having sex] a long time ago? Right
in this same spot?"
"I
know," you tell her.
"How
do you know that?' Miss Saeki asks, and looks you in the eyes.
"I
was there then."
"Blowing
up bridges?"
"Yes,
I was there, blowing up bridges."
"Metaphorically."
Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
Translated by Philip Gabriel
____
The POV changes from the first person to the second
person after:
"I put my arm around her."and remains in that person until the end of the scene.
This is an especially
powerful device, as it is used by Murakami several times in the novel, and at
crucial times, whenever these two characters make love.
In a movie-making
analogy, it is as though the camera carried by the narrator leaves him and
takes a more remote position, as though the main character needs more breathing
space to withstand the pressure of the situation, as well as more objectivity.
When you are going to
read the novel, you will be even more impressed to learn who Miss Saeki
really is (no spoilers :-), or might be (for the author never really allows you
full certainty, characteristically post-impressionistic).
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