{"id":21,"date":"2017-08-23T23:12:20","date_gmt":"2017-08-23T23:12:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english480fa2017\/?page_id=12"},"modified":"2017-08-23T23:12:20","modified_gmt":"2017-08-23T23:12:53","slug":"characterization","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english480fa23\/characterization\/","title":{"rendered":"Characterization"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/a>

Character: A New Critical\/Formalist Approach<\/h1>\n

We use the term character to designate the verbal representation of a person (or person-like thing) in narrative. \u00a0Characters are not always human; \u00a0pigs, talking cars, and buildings can all function as characters. \u00a0One important \u00a0criterion is that characters are agents. \u00a0They do things and things happen to them.<\/p>\n

One way to avoid endless disputes about what a character is or isn\u2019t is to refer to \u201ccharacterization,\u201d the way characters are constructed in the text by writers and readers, rather than to character per se. \u00a0Within a formalist approach, characterization works through the communication of character traits – – habitual behavior, frames of mind, and states of being. \u00a0Some typical character traits might include: greedy, innocent, evil, fastidious, hypocritical, etc. \u00a0[Note: traits are not the same as physical traits. \u00a0Short, tall, thin, blond: these are aspects of external appearance that contribute to characterization.]<\/p>\n

Modes of characterization<\/p>\n

There \u00a0are two main modes of characterization:<\/p>\n

\u2022 direct definition occurs when character traits are named by a narrator:
\n\u201cMr. Fulkerson was a venal, slovenly man much given to kicking small animals and abusing delicate flowers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 indirect definition occurs when a trait is not directly stated but is displayed and exemplified within the narrative discourse and must be induced by the reader:
\n\u201cBrushing his bright day-glo orange hair off his forehead with a smug \u00a0sweep of his meaty hand, Mr. Fulkerson chuckled over the sight of his latest victim – – a delicate petunia – – as it lay crushed and spoiled at his feet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indirect definition<\/p>\n

Because indirect definition is more common and complicated in modern narrative, \u00a0we should look at it in more detail. \u00a0Indirect characterization usually happens through several modes:<\/p>\n

\u2022action: \u00a0traits may be implied by one-time or habitual actions. \u00a0These actions can also be classified as acts of commission, acts of omission, and contemplated acts.<\/p>\n

\u2022 speech: character speech, whether internal or spoken, indicates traits through its content and form. \u00a0Speech content not only characterizes what or whom is spoken about, but also the speaker. \u00a0Speech form, through dialect, slang, style, often indicates the class, origins, profession, race, and attitudes of a speaker.<\/p>\n

\u2022 external appearance: the metonymic relation (where part of a character\u2019s appearance signifies some larger meaning) between \u00a0external appearance and character traits is an important mode of characterization that draws on a cultural code of convention, stereotype, and typology.<\/p>\n

\u2022environment: the place a character lives, works, or just hangs out can also be used to characterize him or her.<\/p>\n

Types of characters<\/p>\n

Literary people often use broad categories to help organize kinds of characters. \u00a0These types, or kinds, of characters usually found in narrative fiction include:<\/p>\n

\u2022round, as opposed to flat, characters. \u00a0Round characters are seen to have fully psychological realities and a fat bundle of character traits. \u00a0They change and adjust to circumstances; they are dynamic. \u00a0Flat characters are static. \u00a0They are often tied to one character trait or quality and tend toward the stereotypical or allegorical.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear how far this distinction, between round and flat, will take us analytically. \u00a0It does however \u00a0help alert us to the way in which characterization is related to narrative function. \u00a0Characters\u2019 different narrative jobs will often determine their mode of characterization, and vice versa. \u00a0Here are some kinds of characters defined by the work they do within the narrative:<\/p>\n

\u2022minor characters:<\/p>\n

\u2022 protagonist: \u00a0the protagonist is the character who mainly acts or is acted upon in a narrative. \u00a0Narratives can contain more than one protagonist, but are usually organized in classical narrative around one main agent. \u00a0Protagonists can be \u201cbad\u201d or \u201cgood.\u201d \u00a0They are almost always round characters. \u00a0The main thing about protagonists is that they have goals and resources. \u00a0The various obstacles to a protagonist might sometimes be embodied in the antagonist \u00a0or antagonists. \u00a0A quick way of analyzing the protagonist is in terms of goals which create problems, establish obstacles, and define change (success or failure).<\/p>\n

\u2022minor \u00a0characters: minor characters are defined solely (or almost solely) by their function within the narrative. \u00a0They are usually \u201cflat\u201d characters. \u00a0Their functions may include: plot (where they exist only to further or complicate the plot); setting (where they help to establish setting); characterization (where they serve to emphasize or elicit other characters\u2019 traits); thematic (where they underscore or amplify certain thematic strands). \u00a0Finally, minor \u00a0characters can be defined by their \u201chelper\u201d function, where they serve as adjuncts to main characters, supplying information, objects, and experiences necessary to main characters. [These are issues which will be taken up much more thoroughly by structuralist approaches to narrative and character.]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Character: A New Critical\/Formalist Approach We use the term character to designate the verbal representation of a person (or person-like thing) in narrative. \u00a0Characters are not always human; \u00a0pigs, talking cars, and buildings can all function as characters. \u00a0One important \u00a0criterion is that characters are agents. \u00a0They do things and things happen to them. One … Continue reading Characterization<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"class_list":["post-21","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english480fa23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english480fa23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english480fa23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english480fa23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english480fa23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english480fa23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaching.lfhanley.net\/english480fa23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}