Sometimes in works of fiction, the narrator seems to tell the reader what to think. Interpretations of the events and characters are made for the reader. Take for example this passage from Emma by Jane Austen.

“Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessing of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her."

The narrator of this text is talking to us directly and telling us what to think of Emma. This style of narration is the opposite of indirect narration, where the reader is only shown events or characters in action without any instructions on how to interpret them. Indirect narration shows us a story. Direct narration tells us a story. 

Related lesson

• Narrative technique
• Exposition