Focalization

Have you ever watched a movie or read a book and realized partway through that what you’re experiencing isn’t the full story—but just someone’s version of it? That’s the magic of focalization. It’s not just about who’s narrating a story, but whose eyes and mind we’re peering through, even if the narrator isn’t them. In simple terms, focalization is about who sees the events of a story, not just who tells them.

Imagine watching Harry Potter. Though it’s written in third person (“Harry did this, Harry thought that”), almost everything is seen through Harry’s eyes. We feel his confusion, his anger, and his awe—because the story is focalized through him. We rarely get to hear what Hermione is thinking when Harry’s not around. That’s focalization at work: it controls what information we’re allowed to know and feel.

Now take Sherlock Holmes. Even though Holmes is the star, the story is told through Dr. Watson’s perspective. That means we often feel puzzled and amazed, just like Watson, because we don’t get inside Sherlock’s brilliant brain. Watson isn’t the narrator by accident—he’s chosen because he gives us a particular angle. The story is focalized through him, not Holmes.

There’s also zero focalization, where the narrator knows everything about everyone—like in Game of Thrones, where we jump into different characters’ heads in different chapters.

Why does this matter? Because focalization shapes how we experience a story. A murder mystery focalized through the detective will feel different than one told through the killer. A romance seen through the eyes of someone heartbroken will carry a different weight than if it came from someone in love.