Elements of Characterization

Freewrite In your notebook, describe a favorite character. Introduce us to them – their name, location, time, family, friends, daily life, interests, dislikes, goals… What you don’t know, give an educated guess at.

Narrative Mode 1 st Person – I 2 nd Person – You 3 rd Person – She

Tense Past - Ate Present - Eat Future – Will eat

Character Types Protagonist – A main or leading character of a story. Antagonist – A main character who opposes the antagonist. Minor character – A character who serves a role to support the plot. Minor characters are useful for giving indirect characterization to main characters. (e.g. Though dialogue)

Point-of-View Reliable – Trustworthy in telling the whole truth of a story vs. Unreliable – Not Trustworthy Omniscient – All-knowing vs. Limited Knowledge - Not all-knowing Present – Happening vs. Past – Happened

Characterization Direct: To reveal a character’s trait through descriptive adjectives. (e.g. He was a very fast runner in track.) Indirect: To reveal a character’s traits though speech, actions, appearance, etc. (e.g. Leaning hard as he rounded the turn, other competitors watched his wind-swept hair disappear down the backstretch.)

Dynamics Static: Does not change through story. Dynamic: Changes through story. These characters may move throughout various other qualities or character types. (e.g. antagonist to protagonist)

Dimensions One-dimensional: Simple, surface-level, often serves a specific purpose for a story (e.g. a waiter within a dinner scene). Two-dimensional: Predictable, simple or no backstory, fits neatly into one role within story (e.g. a Disney character). Three-dimensional: Realistic, imperfect, complex, emotional, contradictory, suggests complicated backstory.

Serves an obvious purpose in the story PredictableFits neatly into one role Changes through story Shows complex, nuanced emotions Suggests complicated past Contains deep- seated desires Conflicted, flawed, imperfect One-DimensionalXXX Two-DimensionalXXXX Three- Dimensional XXXXX

O NE D IMENSION N EEDED : A victim of a virus, like a zombie. An extra in a crowd. A minor character in a children’s story. T WO D IMENSIONS N EEDED : A superhero in an average superhero movie. Victims in a slasher movie. Minor characters in most movies. T HREE D IMENSIONS N EEDED All but the smallest roles in a character study. Most good major protagonists and antagonists.

Depth Height: How important the character is to the story, society, or main character. Most one-dimensional characters are defined by this and one or two character traits. Breadth: Variation within a character. The amount of different traits that define them and how these traits interact. Depth: How the character changes the better the reader knows him. If your ogres really are like onions, then they have depth.

Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory “If a writer of prose knows enough about what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water.”

A dynamic, three-dimensional, realistic character has: Interests Motivations Aspirations Strengths Weaknesses Fears Relationships Deep-seated psychology And everything else a person has, even if it’s never stated.

Fears, Desires, Spirituality, Purpose Strengths, Weaknesses Motivations, Inspirations Occupation, Hobbies, Residence, Family, Friends Beliefs, Attitudes, Demeanor, Goals, Aspirations, Relationships

Character Survey Name of character: Character’s nickname: Date & location of birth: Date & location of current life (at story’s setting): Date & location of death: Ethnicity, body shape, eye color, hair color, skin color: Favorite food: Style clothing: Notable previous locations lived: Description of home and neighborhood: Occupation/job and character’s opinion of such: Interests & activities (i.e. pastimes, hobbies, sports, arts): Name and brief description of relationship to notable family members, significant others, roommates or pets: Name and brief description of relationship to notable friends or acquaintances: Name and brief description of relationship to notable enemies (including “frenemys”): Brief description of major formative event of character’s past: Brief description of character’s demeanor/personality: How would this character’s closest friend describe him/her? Character’s greatest strengths: Character’s greatest weaknesses and fears: Character’s main motivating beliefs (i.e. religion, spirituality, philosophy, ethics, inspirations): Character’s main objective in life (i.e. dreams, goals, purpose): Potential means of achieving this objective: Potential conflicts that might be encountered while achieving this objective:

Character as Narrator Examples?

Holden Caulfield (The Catcher in the Rye) Reliable or unreliable?

Esperanza (The House on Mango Street) Reliable or unreliable?

Of Mice and Men Limited or omniscient?

Julius Caesar Narrative Mode? Limiter or omniscient?

Scout Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird) Past or present?