Point of View

The point of view used in "The History of the World in 10½ Chapters," by Julian Barnes, changes from first person to third person omniscient, depending on the topic. The first person is more personal and subjective and is used mainly when Barnes is describing his own feelings and experiences. A good example of the first person can be seen in "The Stowaway" and "The Survivor."

The use of first person is particularly entertaining in "The Stowaway" as the narrator is a woodworm that managed to sneak aboard Noah's Ark. The woodworm is an objective speaker and is eager to set the record straight regarding the famous voyage.

The parts written in third person omniscient tend to be those of observation of the weather, behaviors of others, or inanimate objects. Good examples of these problems include, "The Wars of Religion" and "The Mountain." In the chapters that...