Characterization in Literature

Instructor: Becky Villarreal

Characterization refers to the methods used by the author to create or reveal the characters in a story. The most common methods of revealing the characters are: (1) by what the character says or thinks; (2) by what the character does; and (3) by what other characters say about the character.

The characters are the humans, animals, or fantasized beings who are created by the author to act within a story for the author's purposes. In some instances, such as in historical fiction, there may be real human beings who lived during the time period of the story. A good writer creates characters the reader cares about. The reader may love them or hate them, respect them, or hold contempt for them, but the writer has created and evoked those emotions by the selection of details provided about the characters.

Questions to ask About Characterization

• How does the author reveal character?
• Who is the protagonist or the main character? Who is the antagonist?
• Does this protagonist seem to represent any particular idea or cause?
• Is the main character static or dynamic?
• If the main character is dynamic, then what does he or she learn? Remember: characters need only REALIZE the error of their ways; they don't have to take action.
• If main character is static, then what does he FAIL to learn? What is his mistake or character flaw?
• Are the characters fully developed or are they "flat"?
• Do you see archetypal or stereotypical dimensions to the character? Are characters contrasted against each other?
• Are the characters consistent in their actions?
• What do the characters want and how do their desires drive the plot?
• What characters do you find particularly likable or dislikable and why? Which character's values are most like your own? Most different?

Important Characterization Terms

• A round character has many traits, some of which may even be contradictory--a very complex individual. In "A Pair of Two Tickets," Jing-Mei is a round, dynamic character. In her search to discover more about her mother, she finds herself.
• Flat characters have only a single or very few traits. Most of the characters in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" are flat, static characters who are paralyzed by a cruel tradition.
• A dynamic character changes during the course of the narrative; he learns from his mistakes or gains insight. In "Roman Fever," Mrs. Ansley is a round, dynamic figure, whereas Mrs. Slade is round and flat. At the end of the story, Mrs. Ansley asserts herself and takes the lead in the relationship.
• A static character does not change over the course of the story and fails to gain insight. In "The Darling," Olenka is a flat and static character whose dependence on men will never end.

Archetype

An archetype is a universal, familiar character. The animal character with magic powers is a literary archetype. Carl Jung, the psychologist, coined this term to refer to "personality types" he saw as universal. He claimed that "archetypes are elemental forces which play a vital role in the creation of the world and of the human mind itself." Jung asserted that we have a collective unconscious or an "imprint" of collective culture in our awareness. He also said that all cultures divide life into good and bad (Yin and Yang). We tend to fictionalize the bad into the Devil, a monster, etc. J

Many archetypes are analyzed for their "universal nature." Some examples of these characters include: a son who kills his father (Oedipus--Greek); a mother who kills her children (Medea--Greek; La Llorona, Mexican); the return of the prodigal son (The Bible); the young person who journeys to discover him or her self (Walkabout, Australia).

Stereotype

A stereotype is a culture-bound, exaggerated character. All cultures have stereotypes. These characters tend to be flat, one-dimensional characters.

Stock Characters (stereotypes made popular in Shakespeare's work) evolved from the Commedia Dell'Arte in Italy during the 1500s. Certain attitudes were found in characters used by all acting troupes. They represented the different types of people found in Italy at that time. These characters included: the Parasite, the Scholar, the Old Man, the Young Lovers, and the Naive Servant. They were characters the audiences could relate to, and they represented perspectives that made the performances enjoyable for everyone.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

  *Some of this information was derived from the website of Tina Buck, ACC English Instructor.

Created by Becky Villarreal Austin Community College 2001