Point of View and Narration

"Sorrow-Acre" is told from a consistent third person, or "he said/she said," point of view, and from a strikingly even narrative distance. The narrator is partially omniscient; that is, she can tell the reader what Adam and Sophie-Magdalena are thinking when the alternative would be unwieldy. (Imagine, for example, how awkward It would appear If Sophie-Magdalena had to say everything she thinks aloud to herself or someone else). But generally the narrator prefers to present narrative commentary ("the low, undulating Danish landscape was silent'"; "a young man walked'") and report speech. At the same time, this narrator clearly has a personality distinct from the personalities of the story's characters, and seems to view the characters with occasional irony and complete detachment. The narrative voice, not to be confused with the personal voice of the author, is similar to the voice Dinesen utilizes in...