The perspective through which events in a narrative are perceived and filtered, determining what information is available to the reader. It's the lens through which the story is focused, distinct from who tells the story.
From Latin 'focus' (hearth, center) plus '-ization.' Coined by French narratologist Gérard Genette in the 1970s to distinguish between who sees (focalization) and who speaks (narration) in storytelling, refining earlier concepts of point of view.
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