character

Question 1

character

Answer 1

any personage in a literary work who acts, appears or is reffered to as playing a part

Question 2

evidence to consider in analyzing a character:

Answer 2

• the character’s name
• the character’s physical appearance
• objects and places associated with the character
• the characters actions
• the characters thoughts and speech, including
  
  • content (what they think and say)
  • timing (when they think or say it)
  • phrasing (how they think or say it)
• other character’s thoughts about the character
• other character’s comments to and about the
  character
• the narrator’s comments about the character

Question 3

heroes and villains vs protagonist and antagonist

Answer 3

• usually: hero (good guy) opposes villain (bad guy)
• heroes usually larger-than-life, stronger or better than
  most human beings
  
  • readers are encouraged to admire by text
  • modern literature: main character is more ordinary
    → terms ‘protagonist’ and ‘antagonist’ are used (don’t imply presence/absence of outstanding virtue or vice)
• controversial: type of protagonist known as antihero
  
  • found mainly in fiction written since around 1850
  • possesses traits that make them the opposite of a
    traditional hero
  • may be difficult to like/admire

Question 4

major vs minor characters

Answer 4

• main characters: type of characters we see more of
  over time/learn more about them/think of as more
  complex/realistic
• minor characters: fill out story but just as important as
  main characters
  • often play key role in shaping our interpretations
    of/attitudes towards the major characters
  • might function as a foil (character that helps by way
    of contrast to reveal the unique qualities of another
    (especially main) character)

Question 5

flat vs round and static vs dynamic characters

Answer 5

• round characters: characters that act from varied,
  often conflicting motives, impulses and desires + who
  seem to have psychological complexity → can
  ‘surprise convincingly’
• flat characters: simple, one-dimensional characters
  that behave and speak in predictable or repetitive
  ways
• dynamic characters: changes as a result of events that
  occur in the story
• static characters: don’t change
• roundness and dynamism tend to go together → still
  distinct qualities
• flat doesn’t mean artistically inferior → might be more
  memorable than a round one

Question 6

stock characters and archetypes

Answer 6

• stock characters: flat characters who represent a
  familiar, frequently recurring type → seem to be pulled
  out of a stockroom of familiar, prefabricated figures
• archetypes: characters that recur in the myths and
  literature of many different ages and cultures are
  instead called

Question 7

characterisation

Answer 7

• characterisation: the art and technique of representing
  fictional personages
  
  • in interpretation: not only who a character is/their
    most important traits/motivations/values need to be
    considered but also how the text shapes our
    interpretation of/decree of sympathy and admiration,
    the characters function and what it might represent
• direct (telling) vs indirect (showing) characterisation

Question 8

foil

Answer 8

character that draws out important trait of main character by being the contrast