Characters and Characterization

Take notes on the following:
1. What goes into choosing a POV (point of view) for a story?
2. What are the strengths/weaknesses of each POV form?
3. Define: character, hero, heroine, villain, protagonist, antagonist, antihero, foil, minor, major character, stereotype, round, flat, dynamic. Be able to tell the difference between all of these terms.
4. How does a writer develop CHARACTERIZATION in a story?

Characters and Characterization

Choosing a POV for your character:
Major Question: Who is the story about?
--Someone who is most interesting
--Someone who is involved in the action of the story
--Someone who has the most to gain or lose from the event

1st Person POV: Main character is the narrator (good subjectivity, but lacks objectivity, limited to one character’s mind)

2nd Person POV: Main character is the “reader”, used through an objective and omniscient “I” narrator (difficult to maintain for a long time, reader must be willing to play the part, difficult to reach into reader’s mind)

Third Person POV: Omniscient or Limited
Omniscient narrators can tell the story of many characters, but this can be confusing. The reader may not know who the story is about or whose conflict is important.
A limited POV allows the writer to focus on one particular character. The story told is the story of that character. Consistent POV gives a story coherence. Inconsistent POV confuses the reader.

Character:

Hero/Heroine: The main character of a story
Villain: The character who opposes the main character
Antihero: A normal, ordinary character
Protagonist: The main character of a story
Antagonist: The opponent of the protagonist
Foil: Either one who is opposite to the main character or nearly the same as the main character. The purpose of the foil character is to emphasize the traits of the main character by contrast, and perhaps by setting up situations in which the protagonist can show his or her character traits. A foil is a secondary character who contrasts with a major character but, in so doing, highlights various facets of the main character's personality.

Characters can be either major or minor, round or flat.

Major characters are characters who are important to the conflict and plot of the story. They often have motivations linked with the main conflict
Minor characters are characters who are not necessarily important to the story. They often are used to develop the main characters or to provide rising action or complications to the plot.
Round characters have a distinct motivation and personality or “voice”; Often they are complex and dynamic (they change through the conflict of the story)
Flat characters are characters that do not change significantly through the conflict of the plot. Sometimes the reader knows or cares little about them because of lack of detail or purpose.
Stereotypes: Characters who are generally recognized as a “type”; These characters lack individuality and often can be boring because we already know how they will act and why.

Ways to develop character:

Characterization: Physical characteristics and personality characteristics which develop the individualization of a character.
Motivation: reasons for the character to act in the story
Dialogue: What characters say helps to develop them
What other characters say about a character also helps develop them
Action: Describing the actions of a character helps develop them (allows writer to show not tell)

Homework: Chapter 9 (pg. 174-177) Answer the 4 ?'s for homework (to be turned in) next class.