Have you ever read books with these styles?

[emuboy]

Most books are written in first person or third person, but have you ever seen or read a book with the following rare writing styles?

SECOND PERSON NARRATIVE - This would seem impractical for writing fiction, using "you" rather than "I" (first person) or character name (third person).
For example: I hastily braked, and looked in amazement through the rain at the large, black cat that crossed the road in front of my car is first person; while Nicole hastily braked, and looked in amazement through the rain at the large, black cat that crossed the road in front of her car is third person.
In second person You hastily braked, and looked in amazement through the rain at the large, black cat that crossed the road in front of your car this does not work. Has anyone ever read a book written in second person?

MALE AUTHOR, FEMALE CHARACTER FIRST PERSON - I have seen books where a female author has written in first person as a male character, but never read a book where a male author has written as a female character. The closest I could find was The Collector, where author John Fowles begins in first person as Fred Clegg, switches to Miranda, then back to Fred to conclude the book. Even there it was a case of Fred reading Miranda's diary.

FIRST PERSON, DETACHED AUTHOR - I liked the CS Lewis Narnia books as a kid, and one thing I noticed was that Lewis wrote these in first person, while not directly involved in the story as a character at all. I have never seen this style used since. Has anyone else?

PRESENT TENSE NARRATIVE - Most novels are written in the past tense. For example, Nicole regarded the panther with fear as at disappeared into the roadside bush. She knew such an animal should not have been in Melbourne's Dandenong Ranges.
In present tense this would be Nicole regards the panther with fear as it disappears into the roadside bush. She knows such an animal should not be in Melbourne's Dandenong Ranges.
I heard Sophie Kinsella writes novels in present tense, but have never read any of her works, nor do I know of any like it.

 

[bradrowe#32]

MALE AUTHOR, FEMALE CHARACTER FIRST PERSON - I have seen books where a female author has written in first person as a male character, but never read a book where a male author has written as a female character. The closest I could find was The Collector, where author John Fowles begins in first person as Fred Clegg, switches to Miranda, then back to Fred to conclude the book. Even there it was a case of Fred reading Miranda's diary.

The Collector is a good example.

A few others;
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

Haven't read it, but The Hours by Michael Cunningham.

 

[mdc]

For second-person narratives the one that first comes to mind is Perec's A man asleep. Calvino's If on a winter's night a traveler... is another really good example. There's what looks like a fairly comprehensive list on wikipedia, but note that at least some of the examples listed aren't examples of whole books, but rather books that have bits of second-person narrative in them.

For the "detached author", you could pretty much pick anything out of Victorian literature and have a fair shot of coming across it.

Present-tense narrative definitely exists, and I've certainly read it, but I can't recall an instance of an entire book being written in present tense. I'm sure a quick google will uncover a few examples.

 

[Cap]

I gather you've never read chose your own adventure.....

all in second person.

 

[MarcusP2]

Fighting Fantasy and Lone Wolf too.

 

[Cthublhu]

Most books are written in first person or third person, but have you ever seen or read a book with the following rare writing styles?

SECOND PERSON NARRATIVE - This would seem impractical for writing fiction, using "you" rather than "I" (first person) or character name (third person).
For example: I hastily braked, and looked in amazement through the rain at the large, black cat that crossed the road in front of my car is first person; while Nicole hastily braked, and looked in amazement through the rain at the large, black cat that crossed the road in front of her car is third person.
In second person You hastily braked, and looked in amazement through the rain at the large, black cat that crossed the road in front of your car this does not work. Has anyone ever read a book written in second person?

Charles Stross' _The Halting State_ is a novel written in second person narrative. He wrote it in as a bit of a homage to early text adventure games (It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue).

MALE AUTHOR, FEMALE CHARACTER FIRST PERSON - I have seen books where a female author has written in first person as a male character, but never read a book where a male author has written as a female character. The closest I could find was The Collector, where author John Fowles begins in first person as Fred Clegg, switches to Miranda, then back to Fred to conclude the book. Even there it was a case of Fred reading Miranda's diary.

Plenty. For example, John Norman's execrable Gor series had several written in 1st person POV by sex-slave girls.

FIRST PERSON, DETACHED AUTHOR - I liked the CS Lewis Narnia books as a kid, and one thing I noticed was that Lewis wrote these in first person, while not directly involved in the story as a character at all. I have never seen this style used since. Has anyone else?

Alice Sebold's _The Lovely Bones_.

PRESENT TENSE NARRATIVE - Most novels are written in the past tense. For example, Nicole regarded the panther with fear as at disappeared into the roadside bush. She knew such an animal should not have been in Melbourne's Dandenong Ranges.
In present tense this would be Nicole regards the panther with fear as it disappears into the roadside bush. She knows such an animal should not be in Melbourne's Dandenong Ranges.
I heard Sophie Kinsella writes novels in present tense, but have never read any of her works, nor do I know of any like it.

Again, lots. Sven Hassel's war books are mostly in this style.

 

[MWPP]

Most books are written in first person or third person, but have you ever seen or read a book with the following rare writing styles?

SECOND PERSON NARRATIVE - This would seem impractical for writing fiction, using "you" rather than "I" (first person) or character name (third person).
For example: I hastily braked, and looked in amazement through the rain at the large, black cat that crossed the road in front of my car is first person; while Nicole hastily braked, and looked in amazement through the rain at the large, black cat that crossed the road in front of her car is third person.
In second person You hastily braked, and looked in amazement through the rain at the large, black cat that crossed the road in front of your car this does not work. Has anyone ever read a book written in second person?

The ones which spring to mind are the 'Give yourself Goosebumps' books I used to read when I was a kid . Haven't read any writen in this style since then though

MALE AUTHOR, FEMALE CHARACTER FIRST PERSON - I have seen books where a female author has written in first person as a male character, but never read a book where a male author has written as a female character. The closest I could find was The Collector, where author John Fowles begins in first person as Fred Clegg, switches to Miranda, then back to Fred to conclude the book. Even there it was a case of Fred reading Miranda's diary.

John Marsden's Tomorrow series is a great example of this. I think a few of his other books, such as So Much to Tell You, are also written in this style (with a female narrator)