Point of View

Small World is told in third person omniscient narration, without the device of a formal narrator as a character. The narrative voice is unbiased and privy to the characters' inner thoughts. The author tells a linear tale, beginning in spring, when college students go on vacation, leaving their dormitory rooms free for academics to occupy. The story extends through the busy summer convention season and ends on New Year's Eve. The author sketches distinguishing physical characteristics when introducing his characters and often reiterates them when the characters are later encountered again. Details are filled in largely through conversation among the characters, who as academics, tend to have healthy egos and plenty to say about each other and themselves. The most extended example is Philip Swallow's confession to his old friend, Morris Zapp, about how years ago he seduced Joy Simpson. Swallow sets the scene for dramatic...