Characterization Prepared by Ms. Teref

Adapted from pp.170-177)

How do we learn about a character?

Authors portray characters through the following:

1. actions: e.g. Larry Darrell (find page #)

2. speech: e.g. Larry (31-32), Elliot Templeton (page 22)

3. description: e.g. Isabelle and Larry (find page #)

4. authorial comment : e.g. Somerset Maugham (find page #)

We rely on four basic methods to determine characterization:

1. What the author tells us about the character

2. What the character tells us about him or herself

3. What the character does

4. What other characters tell us about the character

Rank of each of these as reliable (R) or unreliable (U)

_____What the author tells us about the character

_____ What the character tells us about him or herself

_____ What the character does

_____ What other characters tell us about the character

 

And the answer is…

Actions and authorial comments tend to be more accurate than self-assessment.

Why?

A character may be dishonest or deluded; likewise, other characters may bring their own personal feelings to their judgments.

A character’s dress, speech patterns, and so on may be thought of BOTH as actions or as authorial comment.

Exercise (group work – 10 min):

Consider a character from a novel or story you have read, e.g. Larry Darrell. Do not confuse the character with the author, especially if the story is told in the first person.

 

Chart an analysis of that character by examining the four methods listed above – include a) Chapter numbers and b) Page numbers c) Quotes

N.B. This kind of exercise is very helpful in preparation for the AP test.

Types of Characters: ROUND CHARACTER

Full, lifelike, memorable ROUND, a well-rounded person, character

Unique, unpredictable DYNAMIC: they “recognize, change with, or adjust to circumstances as shown through their actions, the realization of new strengths, the acceptance of a new condition, discovery” (174)

Usually play a major role HERO or HEROINE

If not very heroic, brave PROTAGONIST

May have an enemy ANTAGONIST

Your example?_______________ Why?__________________

Types of Characters: FLAT

Stay the same, don’t grow FLAT e.g. remain stupid, insensitive because they lack knowledge or insight;

End where they begin STATIC, not dynamic

Function: emphasize the development of the round characters

Usually minor characters, BUT not all minor characters are flat!

Your example?_______________ Why?__________________

Types of Characters: STOCK

Flat characters BUT lively and engaging ALTHOUGH little development;

Representative of their class/group: the evil stepmother, the greedy politician

When flat and exhibiting ONLY the conventional traits and possess NO individuality STEREOTYPE

When exhibiting ONLY one trait, e.g. nearsightedness, miserliness CARICATURE

Types of Characters: THE FOIL

A character in the SAME novel, short story, or play that complements or makes the protagonist seem better by contrast

E.g. the character of Dr. Watson in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. Watson is a perfect foil for Holmes because his relative obtuseness makes Holmes’s deductions seem more brilliant.

A foil’s role may be emphasized by physical contrasts. For example in Cervantes' Don Quixote, the dreamy, well spoken, and impractical Quixote is thin in contrast to his companion, the realistic, uneducated, and practical Sancho Panza, who is fat.

Verisimilitude (probability, or plausibility)

Veri –ver = veritas = truth (cf. verify)

simil = similar to

“Characters in fiction should be true to life,” i.e. they should speak, act, and exhibit characteristics of real people.