What is the author's style in Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter?

The point of view is largely third person omniscient, but changes dramatically and without warning throughout each section. In the first section, the narrative is in third person omniscient from Walser’s point of view. This lets the reader know what he is thinking and feeling, while keeping them in the dark about Fevvers’ (or Lizzie’s) true thoughts. This helps retain the mystery that surrounds the two. In telling her story, Fevvers takes center stage, thus becoming the center of attention. This allows the reader to learn Fevvers’ life history without taking away any of the mystery.

In Section Two, the narrative remains in the third person omniscient, however Walser is not privy this time to all of the information being revealed to the reader. As several other tales are told in this section, Fevvers is pushed into the background and the life of the circus takes center stage.

Section Three has a mixture of points of view. The section starts in first person wherein the reader finally becomes privy to Fevvers’ thoughts. She becomes more tangible to the reader and less mysterious: a real human being with whom the reader can connect. It is the only time a first person narrative is used and is important in establishing the individualism of Fevvers. This section also utilizes third person omniscient narrative, both in a general sense and, at one point, from Olga Alexandrovna’s point of view.