Point of View

Love, Theoretically is told through first-person perspective, from Elsie’s point of view. Elsie’s narration is peppered with sarcastic remarks and allusions to Twilight. Her tone is characteristically ironic and lighthearted.

Hazelwood does an excellent job of balancing Elsie’s role as narrator and protagonist by having Elsie both describe events and her reaction to them simultaneously. For example, when Jack shows Elsie around MIT, Elsie can tell there is much being left unsaid between them: “Jack’s eyebrow lifts (subtext: You’re full of shit), and I trail off… I press my lips together (subtext: Stop saying my name)” (101). By having this “subtext” included in parentheses, Elsie conveys the layered nature of her interactions with Jack (101). This quote illustrates how Elsie buries her irritation with others, putting on an affable front when really she is deeply frustrated. Jack’s talent for getting under...