History Main / SwitchingPOV

SisterTrope to RashomonStyle, but the accounts do not need to disagree or even overlap, and also RotatingProtagonist, but rather than simply seeing different characters, we get their perspectives. SuperTrope to ScrapbookStory.

* The ''KnightAndRogueSeries'' alternates between Michael and FIsk's perspective with each chapter.

* Victorian mystery novelist WilkieCollins did this more than once, most notably in his classics ''TheMoonstone'' and ''The Woman In White''. Each novel was divided up into several different first-person narratives, with occasional other sources like "The Narrative of the Tombstone".

** ''AbsalomAbsalom''

* ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero]'', where the breaks are usually followed by a change of narrator.

* George R.R. Martin's ''ASongOfIceAndFire''. The viewpoint character changes every chapter--and there have been 25 or so viewpoint characters through the first four books.

* ''[[{{Fanfic/Ptitle0028gzjm}} Kyon: Big Damn Hero]]'', where the breaks are usually followed by a change of narrator.

* We always follow HarryPotter's point of view throughout the series, with the exception of the opening chapters of ''[=~Philosopher's Stone~=]'', ''GobletOfFire'', ''Half Blood Prince'' (first two chapters), and ''DeathlyHallows'', which have important establishing events that Harry's not present for (although in the case of ''GobletOfFire'', he sees them in a dream).

* Terry Goodkind does this a lot in SwordofTruth, especially noteworthy though is in the first book where the POV has been on the male main character most of the book (exept one small part when he is unconscious) until around half of the book where the POV changes to the female main character. This is done to put more info on her personality and her secret and also to show that she also feels an attraction to him.

* Over a longer period, ''[[BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'' would do this, with various episodes or story arcs being done primarily from a particular character's point of view, oftentimes nowhere near the titular space station.

* [=~Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog~=] focuses on Dr. Horrible/Billy, but "My Eyes" switches between Dr. Horrible narrating how he can't believe how horrible everything is turning, and Penny narrating how everything can get better.

* Victorian mystery novelist WilkieCollins did this more than once, most notably in his classics ''The Moonstone'' and ''The Woman In White''. Each novel was divided up into several different first-person narratives, with occasional other sources like "The Narrative of the Tombstone".

* Pretty much everything ever written by Harry Turtledove runs on this trope. Most of his series have a minimum of 5 or 6 POV characters per volume.

The most obvious way to do this is to switch from Jack being "I" to Sally being "I," since even if they're both in the scene, it's clear who the focus is on. But a book can also pull this off with third-person limited (you see both a s/he, but you're only inside one's head at a time). Primarily a literature trope, but a duet or film can also work. You just need narration of some sort.

A switching point of view is closely related to, but distinct from, RotatingProtagonist. The best way to define it is [=RotatingNarrator=]: rather than an omniscient third-person narrator showing us Jack, then Sally, then [[DayInTheLimelight Pauline]], we see the story from Jack's perspective, then Sally's, then [[DayInTheLimeLight Pauline's]]. Can be very useful if the POV is third-person limited or first-person, as this can give us information we otherwise wouldn't have--for instance, we could find out that Pauline's motivations are genuinely good or she really did kill that guy, something neither Jack nor Sally would know.

A switching point of view is closely related to, but distinct from, RotatingProtagonist. The best way to define it is RotatingNarrator: rather than an omniscient third-person narrator showing us Jack, then Sally, then [[DayInTheLimelight Pauline]], we see the story from Jack's perspective, then Sally's, then [[DayInTheLimeLight Pauline's]]. Can be very useful if the POV is third-person limited or first-person, as this can give us information we otherwise wouldn't have--for instance, we could find out that Pauline's motivations are genuinely good or she really did kill that guy, something neither Jack nor Sally would know.

The most obvious way to do this is to switch from Jack being "I" to Sally being "I," since even if they're both in the scene, it's clear who the focus is on. But a book can also pull this off with third-person limited (you see both a s/he, but you're only inside one's head at a time). Primarily a literature trope, but a duet or film could also work. You just need narration of some sort.

* ''Fanfic/{{Luminosity}}'s narrators to date have been Bella, Elspeth, and [[spoiler:Addy]] when Elspeth is asleep/unconscious during an important part.