Third-person narration that stays tightly glued to one character's perspective, thoughts, and sensory experience.
Close third person (sometimes called limited third or tight third) uses 'he,' 'she,' or 'they' pronouns but stays locked inside one character's head at a time. The reader sees only what the viewpoint character sees, knows only what they know, and experiences the world filtered through their personality. It's the most popular point of view in contemporary fiction because it gives you the intimacy of first person with the flexibility of third - you can color the narration with the character's voice while still maintaining a slight authorial perspective when you need it.
Close third person is probably the POV you'll use most in your fiction career, so it's worth getting comfortable with it. The technique forces you to stay grounded in your character's experience, which naturally produces more vivid, specific writing. It also teaches you discipline - when you commit to one character's perspective, every detail in the scene has to be something that character would actually notice, which makes your writing feel authentic and lived-in.
Almost entirely locked to Harry's close third perspective - the reader discovers the magical world exactly as Harry does, which drives the sense of wonder.
Each chapter is a different character's close third perspective, and each one has a distinctly different narrative voice and set of preoccupations.
Though written in first person, Tartt's technique is instructive for close third writers - every detail is filtered through Theo's specific obsessions and sensibility.
If you're in Sarah's close third, you can't tell us what Jake is thinking. You can only show what Sarah observes about Jake's behavior.
A character who doesn't care about fashion won't notice the brand of someone's shoes. Stay true to what your specific character would perceive.
In close third, you're inside this person's head. They don't think of themselves by name constantly. Use pronouns naturally and save the name for clarity.
Write the same party scene twice in close third person, once from the perspective of someone who loves parties and once from someone who dreads them. Don't state their feelings directly - instead, let each character's perspective color which details they notice, how they describe other people, and what they think about. The room should feel like a different place in each version.