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CHARACTERISATION

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8 views

CHARACTERISATION

hahahaha

Uploaded by

njquigley2009
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CHARACTERISATION

Characterisation is the process that authors use to construct textual identities that possess believable
human personas. Characterisation is developed over the entirety of a piece of literature and can be direct
or indirect.
• Direct characterisation: telling
 occurs when an author provides the reader with clear and direct statements about a
character’s personality.
 Examples (Divergent):
Beatrice - " I see a narrow face, wide, round eyes, a long, nose" (pg 2)
Beatrice - "I am selfish, I am brave" (pg 47)
 Examples (Worldshaker):
“Col was a dutiful, obedient boy who never questioned his parents' expectations.”
“Lady Porpentine ruled her household with an iron will, and what she said was law."

• Indirect characterisation: showing


 Provides an idea of what the character is like through:
• what the character says
• how the character behaves
• how the character thinks and feels
• other people’s reactions to the character
• the character’s appearance
 Examples (Divergent):
Tris - "The last thing I want to do is stand in front of that target, but I can't back down now. I
didn't leave myself the option." (pg 162)
Beatrice - "I don't think. I just bend my knees and jump." (pg 58)
 Examples (Worldshaker):
"Col hesitated, his eyes darting to the steel walls of his cabin. His upbringing screamed
against helping a Filthy, but something else tugged at him, something new and unfamiliar."
"I won’t let them keep me caged like an animal!" Riff spat, her eyes blazing as she tightened
her grip on the wrench.

The quotes characterise the character and show their personality through actions and words.

Narrative viewpoint can affect characterisation

Consider the following about how narrative viewpoint is used in literary texts:

• First-person perspective can encourage sympathy for the character who narrates the story.
• First-person perspective may make use of a narrator who, over the course of a story, may be revealed
to be ‘unreliable’. This may cause the audience to feel sympathy or disdain for the character.
• In cases of an unreliable narrator, the author’s perspective may differ from the narrator’s perspective.
For example, an author may have the perspective that bullying is wrong, but the narrator may be a
bully.
• Third-person perspective may favour certain characters over others, effectively silencing minor
characters.
• Third-person perspective may convey the attitudes, values and opinions of the author, sometimes as
interjections in a text but most often through language choices made in descriptions of characters.

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