Character

Question 1

Protagonist

Answer 1

The main character in a work; often a hero or heroine, but not always.

Question 2

Antagonist

Answer 2

A character in a story or play who opposes the protagonist; while not necessarily an enemy, the antagonist creates or intensifies a conflict for the protagonist.

Question 3

Coming-of-age story or Bildungsroman

Answer 3

A novel that explores the maturation of the protagonist, with the narrative usually moving the main character from childhood into adulthood.

Question 4

Flat Characters

Answer 4

A character embodying only one or two traits and who lacks character development.

Question 5

Round Characters

Answer 5

Characters that change throughout a story and display a wide variety of emotions.

Question 6

Stock Characters

Answer 6

Provide comic relief or simply prevent an author from having to explain their traits in detail.

Question 7

Direct Characterization

Answer 7

A narrator tells the reader who a character is by describing the background, motivation, temperament, or appearance of a character.

Question 8

Indirect Characterization

Answer 8

An author shows rather than tells us what a character is like through what the character says, does, or thinks or through what others say about the character.