Point of View

The heart of the story The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller is told in the third person perspective with limited omniscience. Using this point of view, the reader is able to know the thoughts, feelings and motivations of the two main characters, Robert Kincaid and Francesca Johnson.

There is a slight deviation from third person perspective to first person perspective in the preface and in the postscript of the work. In these two sections, Waller, using a form of authorial intrusion, inserts himself into the story in the preface which is entitled "Beginnings." Waller explains how he learned of the love story of Robert and Francesca. He explains that he was contacted by Francesca's son, Michael, and met with him and his sister, Carolyn. They told him of their mother's romance and Waller agreed to write the story.

In the final entry, which...