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Characters and Characterization

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Characters and Characterization

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NATIONAL

MATH + SCIENCE
INITIATIVE English

Characters and Characterization


Student Resource

Characterization is the act of creating or developing a character. No work of fiction can be effective
unless the author creates believable and sympathetic characters to people it. Through them, the fictional
conflict arises and is resolved, the theme revealed, and the reader entertained and enlightened.

Types of Characterization
Direct Characterization: The author directly states the characters traits.
Indirect Characterization: The author reveals the traits of a character through various methods, leaving
it up to the reader to draw conclusions about the character based on this indirect information. Authors may
indirectly characterize through any of the following methods:
what the character says (dialogue)
what the character does (actions)
what the character thinks (interior monologue)
what other characters say about him/her

Character Terms
Protagonist: the central character of a drama, novel, short story, or narrative poem
Antagonist: the adversary of the protagonist
Foil: a character designed to highlight qualities of another character
Epiphany: a sudden revelation in which a character proceeds from ignorance and innocence to knowledge
and awareness
Round Character: a three-dimensional character
Flat Character: a character with a single important trait
Dynamic Character: a character who changes in response to the experience through which he or she
passes
Static Character: a character who changes little over the course of a narrative
Archetypal Character (or Archetype): a character who embodies a certain kind of universal human
experience; a type seen in myths, fairy tales, and in other forms of literature in every time and place
Examples:
Mentor: a wise teacher who provides guidance
Damsel in distress: a young, beautiful woman in need of saving

Copyright 2013 National Math + Science Initiative, Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.nms.org. 15
English

16 Copyright 2013 National Math + Science Initiative, Dallas, Texas. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.nms.org.

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