Final answer:
Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy, and George Eliot used third-person omniscient narration in their works, allowing them to explore characters' thoughts and societal themes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy, and George Eliot used a type of narrative known as third-person narration. This narrative style is characterized by a narrator who is not a character within the story, and hence does not participate in the events of the narrative.
In the case of Jane Austen, for instance, she often employed an omniscient third-person narrator who had complete knowledge of all characters' thoughts, feelings, and actions. Such a narrator provides a god-like perspective, overseeing all aspects of the story without being restricted by any one character's viewpoint.
This allows authors like Austen to delve deeply into the behaviors, social structures, and intricacies of human psychology, which is particularly evident in novels like Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey. Moreover, the use of third-person omniscient narration has been a powerful tool for authors to create complex narratives that can explore broad themes and societal norms, as seen in Tolstoy's works.