Selective Omniscience

Selective omniscience is a type of third-person narration. Stories told from this point of view come from a nonparticipant in the action who focuses on the thoughts of one of the characters. Highsmith employs this device in “A Girl like Phyl” to help provide insight into Jeff’s troubled psyche. The narrator does not need to spend time digging into Eileen’s or Phyl’s thoughts since the focus of the story is on the fictive world that Jeff has created and the devastating consequences when that world is shattered. This point of view also encourages readers to sympathize and identify with Jeff, which adds to the tension of the story.

Title

The title of the story works on two levels: first, it relates to the main story line that involves Jeff meeting and spending time with Phyl’s daughter who...