CHARACTERIZATION

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CHARACTERIZATION

• Week 1

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Direct Characterization
Direct CharacterizationThe writer tells readers
directly what a character is like.
. . . he was a simple, good-natured man he was
moreover a kind neighbor and an obedient,
henpecked husband. from Rip Van Winkle by
Washington Irving
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Indirect Characterization
Indirect CharacterizationThe writer reveals
characters traits through

• appearance

• dialogue

• private thoughts

• actions

• effects on others

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Indirect Characterization
Appearance The way writers describe characters
appearancephysical features, clothing, and
general demeanorprovides insight into their
personalities.
(After his twenty-year nap) The appearance of
Rip, with his long grizzled beard, his rusty
fowling piece, his uncouth dress, . . . soon
attracted the attention of the tavern
politicians. from Rip Van Winkle by Washington
Irving
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Indirect Characterization
Private Thoughts Characters private thoughts can
reveal what they think, feel, want, or fear.
(Rip learns that friends have passed away in his
absence) Rips heart died away, at hearing of
these sad changes in his home and his friends,
and finding himself thus alone in the world . . .
he had no courage to ask after any more friends,
but cried out in despair, Does nobody here know
Rip Van Winkle? from Rip Van Winkle by
Washington Irving
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Indirect Characterization
Actions Characters actionswhat they do and how
they do ittell a great deal about them.
He assisted at their sports, made their
playthings, taught them to fly kites and shoot
marbles, and told them long stories. . . . from
Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
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Indirect Characterization
Effects on Others The effect a character has on
others also helps readers understand what the
character is like.
The children of the village . . . would shout
with joy whenever he approached. . . . Whenever
he went dodging about the village he was
surrounded by a troop of them . . . and not a dog
would bark at him throughout the
neighborhood. from Rip Van Winkle by
Washington Irving
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Dramatic Monologue and Soliloquy
Characters are also important in poetry and
plays. One way that poets and playwrights can
develop characters is by letting them speak for
themselves.

• A dramatic monologue is a poem in which a single
  character talks to one or more silent listeners.

• A soliloquy is a scene in a play in which a lone
  character tells his or her thoughts directly to
  the audience.

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Flat, Round, and Stock Characters
Flat characters

• have only one or two character traits

• can be described in a few words

• are usually minor characters

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Flat, AND Round Characters
Round characters

• have many character traits

• are complex, like real people

• are often major characters

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Characters may also be either dynamic or static.

• A dynamic character is one who changes
  significantly during the course of the story.
  Changes considered to qualify a character as
  dynamic include changes in sight or
  understanding, changes in commitment, and changes
  in values. Changes in circumstance, even physical
  circumstance, DO NOT apply unless they result in
  some change within the character's self.

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Characters may also be either dynamic or static.

• In contrast, a static character does not undergo
  significant change. A static character is a
  literary character that remains basically
  unchanged throughout a work. Whether round or
  flat, their personalities remain essentially
  stable throughout the course of the story.