HI Nola - thanks for this overview of the omniscient pov. The differences between subjective omniscient and head-hopping must be subtle - and I'd imagine the reader could be in danger of mental whiplash.
As for contemporary (or not so contemporary) examples - Slaughter House 5 is in omniscient & it's employed to distance the reader from the horror of the events. But more recently - The Book Thief employs Death as narrator which amounts to an omniscient pov. Zusak breaks other writing rules, but all works well. J K Rowlings Cormoram Strike novels are also omniscient - though that particularly noticeable at the beginning. And Daniel Scott's Miles Franklin winning novel The Deadman's Dance has a subjective omniscient - or he head-hops like crazy - also time hops. The first third of the book in particular is often disorientating - though it is a unique and gripping book.
I can see how it would be useful for humour (especially farce) and maybe huge epic tales - but I'm happy to stick to multiple deep or limited third pov :)
HI Nola - thanks for this overview of the omniscient pov. The differences between subjective omniscient and head-hopping must be subtle - and I'd imagine the reader could be in danger of mental whiplash.
As for contemporary (or not so contemporary) examples - Slaughter House 5 is in omniscient & it's employed to distance the reader from the horror of the events. But more recently - The Book Thief employs Death as narrator which amounts to an omniscient pov. Zusak breaks other writing rules, but all works well. J K Rowlings Cormoram Strike novels are also omniscient - though that particularly noticeable at the beginning. And Daniel Scott's Miles Franklin winning novel The Deadman's Dance has a subjective omniscient - or he head-hops like crazy - also time hops. The first third of the book in particular is often disorientating - though it is a unique and gripping book.
I can see how it would be useful for humour (especially farce) and maybe huge epic tales - but I'm happy to stick to multiple deep or limited third pov :)