subjective
What is Subjective? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples
Subjective Definition
Subjective (suhb-JEK-tiv) is an adjective that describes something that’s based on a person’s opinions, individual experiences, and biased influences instead of facts. Literary criticism and interpretations are subjective because they reflect the critic’s opinion of a work rather than the author’s intent. Other subjective works include opinion editorials, reviews, literary interpretations, and subjective narrative literature.
When the word first appeared in the 1500s, Late Latin speakers used it to describe a person who is submissive, but subjective came to mean “existing in the mind” by 1707. By 1767, subjective described something that was “personal” and “individual,” much like the modern use of the word.
Subjective Narration
Subjective narration in literature describes a story that has a narrator with a limited, subjective perspective. The reader experiences the story through the narrator’s point of view (often a character participating in the story). As a result, the reader’s understanding is based more on the narrator’s experiences and opinions than the larger world of the story.
Unreliable Narrators
Subjective narration can sometimes mean narrators in literature aren’t reliable. Unreliable narrators are characters who might not tell the story accurately due to their own biases, experiences, or incomprehension. Winston Groom’s Forrest Gump, for example, relates fantastical events from history that cause the reader to question Forrest’s grasp on reality. Conversely, an omniscient narrator relates several characters’ perspectives as well as the larger world of the story, making their narration more objective.
Discerning Subjective Language
Subjective language doesn’t rely on factual evidence and is more concerned with personal thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and perspectives. You can identify subjective language by finding opinion-based verbiage, like adjectives (for example, beautiful, perfect, repulsive); considering whether anyone could question the factuality of the statement; and questioning whether evidence substantiates the claim.
Unlike subjective language, objective language is factual and not influenced by a person’s individual opinions or experiences. For example, a juror must be objective and have no knowledge or preconceived biases before participating in a trial. Conversely, a subjective juror who already has opinions on the defendant’s guilt might then unfairly engage in the trial based on their personal views.
Take these two statements about a woman’s hair. One person says, “She has the most beautiful hair,” while another says, “She has red hair.” The first statement is subjective, as others might not agree with this quality assessment of the hair in question. The second statement is objective because one could easily substantiate whether the woman being discussed has red hair.
Literary Criticism and Subjectivity
Literary criticism is the analysis of a piece of literature that assesses the piece’s style, themes, and contexts. Though critics support their analysis with evidence from the piece, criticisms are subjective because the critic’s interpretation comes from their own biases, opinions, and experiences.
On the other hand, points of analysis that come directly from the piece’s author are objective. For example, Harper Lee once said in an interview that she wished to be the chronicler of “small town, middle-class southern life,” and this attempt appears in her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird; this is an objective fact. Many critics believe that the mockingbird represents innocence, though Lee never outright stated that it does; this is a subjective opinion.
Examples of Subjectivity in Literature
1. Jenny Han, P.S. I Still Love You
In this young adult novel, protagonist Lara Jean is narrating the novel from her first-person, subjective perspective, so she isn’t aware of the thoughts of other characters and questions their motives:
I don’t understand what’s the matter with Josh. He acted like he was so in love with her; he practically went into a depression when she was gone. And now this?
2. Winston Groom, Forrest Gump
Groom portrays the titular character as having a low IQ. Forrest’s first-person perspective is perhaps unreliable because of both his mental capacity and his fantastical retelling of events:
Let me say this. Being an idiot is no box of chocolates.
3. Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie
Tuesdays with Morrie is a nonfiction memoir that offers the subjective opinions of Morrie and his philosophical student of sorts, Mitch. This excerpt shows Morrie’s personal feelings about the working culture:
The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it.
Further Resources on Subjectivity
The NROC Project website offers a detailed comparison of objective and subjective language and suggests ways of identifying subjective language.
You can learn more about spotting unreliable narrators in literature from the Living Handbook of Narratology.
Prospect Magazine has an article on the subjectivity of literary judgments.