# The Narrator — Last and First Men character guide

> The Narrator in Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Unknown, our, ours, ourselves

**First appearance:** 0001-last-and-first-men

## Snapshot

A disembodied voice speaking from the far future, chronicling humanity's rise and fall with the collective 'we' of a species remembering itself.

## Who they are

This narrator is not a person but a perspective — a consciousness looking back across a hundred million years of human transformation, from the First Men to the Last. The voice carries the weight of all those generations, speaking with the intimacy of 'we' and 'our' even as it describes species utterly alien to us. Its tension lies in the gap between the vast sweep of history it surveys and the reader's own small moment in that sweep, making every page feel like a message from a future that is also, somehow, ours.

## In the story

### [Last and First Men](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/last-and-first-men)

The narrator sets the stage for the entire future history of humanity, speaking from a distant future perspective.

### [II: The Anglo-French War](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/ii-the-anglo-french-war)

Provides the historical overview and commentary on the events.

### [On an Island in the Pacific](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/iii-on-an-island-in-the-pacific)

Provides an omniscient perspective on the secret meeting and the internal thoughts of the negotiators.

### [I: The Foundation of the First World State](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/i-the-foundation-of-the-first-world-state)

The narrator provides a historical overview of the founding of the First World State.

### [III: Material Achievement](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/iii-material-achievement)

The narrator, a Last Man, reflects on the material achievements of the First World State, contrasting them with the more advanced civilization of the Last Men.

### [VI: Transition](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/vi-transition)

The voice guiding the reader through the transition period, summarizing vast epochs and focusing on key developments.

### [I: The First Men at Bay](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/i-the-first-men-at-bay)

The voice recounting the story of the First Men's struggle and their legacy.

### [III: The Zenith of the Second Men](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/iii-the-zenith-of-the-second-men)

The narrator provides the account of the Second Men's history and characteristics.

### [I: The First Martian Invasion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/i-the-first-martian-invasion)

Describes the events of the first Martian invasion from an observational perspective.

### [Life on Mars](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/ii-life-on-mars)

The narrator provides the exposition on Martian life, acknowledging the difficulty of describing an alien world in a few pages.

### [Delusions of the Martians](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/iv-delusions-of-the-martians)

Provides the historical and psychological analysis of the Martian species.

### [Earth and Mars](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/ix-earth-and-mars)

The narrator provides a detailed account of the events and the psychological states of both species.

### [II: The Ruin of Two Worlds](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/ii-the-ruin-of-two-worlds)

Provides a detailed account of the Second Men's decline and the war.

### [I: The Third Human Species](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/i-the-third-human-species)

The narrator provides an overview of the Third Men's evolution and characteristics.

### [III: The Vital Art](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/iii-the-vital-art)

Provides the historical and philosophical commentary on the Third Men's culture.

### [The Last Terrestrials](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/xii-the-last-terrestrials)

Provides the historical account of the Fifth Men's era.

### [XIV: Neptune](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/xiv-neptune)

Provides a bird's-eye view of the Neptunian age, summarizing vast epochs and the rise of later human species.

### [I: Bird’s-Eye View](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/i-bird-s-eye-view)

The narrator, one of the Last Men, provides the cosmic perspective and guides the reader through the vast timeline.

### [XVI: The Last of Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/xvi-the-last-of-man)

The narrator speaks from a distant future, describing the Last Men's final days and their acceptance of cosmic fate.

### [I: Sentence of Death](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/i-sentence-of-death)

A representative of the Last Men, reflecting on their past and the sudden crisis.

### [II: Behaviour of the Condemned](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/ii-behaviour-of-the-condemned)

Describes the collective emotions and tasks of the Last Men, including the plan for dissemination and the power to influence past minds.

### [III: Epilogue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/chapters/iii-epilogue)

A member of the Last Men, speaking from a time twenty thousand years after the main narrative, describing the final days.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/characters/the_narrator
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/last_and_first_men_se/characters