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structuralist narratology/ˌfoʊkəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/
Focalization
Etymology: French 'focalisation' (Genette, 1972), from Latin 'focus' (hearth, optical center).
Theorist Origin: Gérard Genette, 'Figures III' (1972)
Definition
The selection and restriction of narrative information relative to the perceptual perspective of a character or observer (distinguishing 'who speaks?' from 'who perceives?').
Mathematical or diagrammatic model:
Information(Narrated) = PerceptualField(Focalizer) ∩ DiegeticUniverseExample from literature
“In Frankenstein, Victor is the voice narrating the glacier scene, but the focalization shifts to internal perception of the Creature's grotesque agility.”
Related terms
DiegesisFree Indirect DiscourseImplied AuthorMetalepsis