1. Character Terms
Know Them and Use Them

2. Protagonist vs. Antagonist
Characters can be protagonists (heroes), or the main character around whom most of the work revolves.
Characters can be antagonists- the person who the protagonist is against.
This is often the villain, but could be a force of nature, set of circumstances, an animal, etc.

3. Protagonists can follow literary patterns or types….
The anti-hero (Holden Caufield), This is the guy your mother would not want you or your sister to date. They are often graceless, inept, and actually dishonest.
The tragic hero (Oedipus, Macbeth), This is the guy whose bad end is a result of flaws within himself.

4. Protagonists can follow literary patterns or types….
The romantic hero (Don Juan, James Bond), This is the guy the girls all swoon over. He gets the girls, even when he doesn’t want to keep them.
The modern hero This is the average guy who is put in extraordinary circumstances and rises to the challenge.
The Hemingway hero, This is the guy who has been in a war, drinks too much, gets his girlfriend pregnant, and she dies. Or guys like him

5. Additional Characters…
Character Foils- These are the people whose job is to contrast with the major character. Â This can happen in two ways.
One: The foil can be the opposite of the major character, so the major’s virtues and strengths are that much “brighter” in reflection.
Two: The foil can be someone like the major character, with “lite” versions of the major’s virtues and strengths so that the major comes off as even stronger.

6. Additional Characters…
Stereotypical (Stock)-This is the absent minded professor, the jolly fat person, the clueless blonde.
flat (1 dimensional), This is the character who is only viewed through one side. This is the hardcore gamer. That’s all there is to the character.
round (3 dimensional), This means the character has more than one facet to their personality. They are not just a hardcore gamer, but they also play basketball on the weekends.

7. Writing About Characters…
A strong character analysis will:
Identify the type of character it is dealing with.
Describe the character.
Discuss the conflict in the story, particularly in regards to the character’s place in it.

8. Writing About Character….
Questions to Consider..
Questions to Consider…
What do characters’ emotions and behaviors reveal about personality/ psychological states?
What does the characters’ behaviors reveal about the message the author is trying to convey?
To what extent is the work a mirror of a time period?
To what extent is the work a judgment of a time period?