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A literary question

13 replies

RiverViews77 · 29/06/2026 20:41

What is the correct term for this style of writing?

Eg: “Sarah and Anna walked together, hand in hand. Anna was full of the highs from the night before. Hadn’t the Smith sisters looked garish? And how badly Rupert danced - he stood on each of his partner’s toes! And what bad luck for Mrs Peach, what with her lumbago…it was a shame that she had so many ailments.
They walked on, passing the bandstand…”

It’s not direct speech, obvs, but not reported speech either. What would you call this style of narration if you were any analysing it? We get Anna’s words but…how?

OP posts:
SkippitySkoppity · 29/06/2026 20:42

inner narrative?

cassandre · 29/06/2026 20:44

It's free indirect discourse (also called free indirect speech).

RiverViews77 · 29/06/2026 20:49

Oh wow! Free indirect discourse. Amazing! Do you work in the literary world, Cassandre?

OP posts:
Enidrocks · 29/06/2026 20:50

Awful writing

cassandre · 29/06/2026 20:51

I'm an academic who teaches literature 😂
So for once, a question I know how to answer!

JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 29/06/2026 20:51

Free indirect discourse

JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 29/06/2026 20:52

Snap @cassandre !

RiverViews77 · 29/06/2026 20:52

Enidrocks · 29/06/2026 20:50

Awful writing

It was an example I wrote quickly to demonstrate what I meant.
But thanks for your wise literary criticism!

OP posts:
RiverViews77 · 29/06/2026 20:53

cassandre · 29/06/2026 20:51

I'm an academic who teaches literature 😂
So for once, a question I know how to answer!

Many thanks! I even have a degree in English Lit but didn’t know this 😳

OP posts:
RiverViews77 · 29/06/2026 20:55

(If anyone is interested, the book that got me wondering is ‘The Paying Guests’ by Sarah Waters. Not Austen who I now realise uses it quite a bit!)

OP posts:
TheIncredibleBookEatingManchot · 29/06/2026 20:58

The viewpoint is close third person, as we're seeing inside Anna's head.

CuppaWhiteTea · 29/06/2026 21:25

I was going to describe it as close third person narration too.

Middlemarch123 · 29/06/2026 21:34

It’s third person narrative. I used to teach A Level literature and language. Yes, @RiverViews77 frequently used by Austen.

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