Omniscient narrator
A third-person narrative voice with complete knowledge of all characters' internal states, thoughts, and motivations, as well as past, present, and future events (within the text's logic). The omniscient narrator can move freely between characters and time, providing comprehensive perspective.
Real World
George Eliot's 'Middlemarch' uses an omniscient narrator who moves freely between characters' private thoughts, famously revealing Dorothea's and Casaubon's incompatible inner lives side by side — something no single character could know.
Exam Focus
Note when omniscient narration withholds information despite 'knowing all' — this deliberate choice reveals authorial control worth analysing.
How well did you know this?