Characterization

1. Characterization Characterization is the process of presenting the different aspects of character and personality of someone in a novel or short story.

2. What they say (dialogue) • What they do (actions) • What they think (interior monologue) • What they have and wear • Where they are • The people with whom they associate • What others say about them • How others relate to them • The author’s direct statement Readers learn about characters from….

3. Narrative point of view and characterization are closely connected. The narrator tells the story from a certain point of view and, in doing so, develops the character of the persons in the narrative. The omniscient narrator and the limited narrator present information in different ways. The omniscient narrator knows all the thoughts of all the characters, so he or she may choose to describe a character explicitly. The limited narrator tells what he or she sees without access to the thoughts of any other character. Connection: Narrative Point of View & Characterization

4. Static Character: one that changes little over the course of the narrative. This character is revealed by the action but is not changed by the action. • Dynamic Character: one who changes in response to the actions through which he or she passes. One of the objectives of the work is to reveal the consequences of the action upon him/her. Types of Characters

5. Archetypal Characters: those who embody a certain kind of universal human experience. These characters appear regularly in narratives. Examples: femme fatale (siren, temptress – purposefully lures men to disaster through her beauty); damsel in distress; the mentor; the old crone, hag, or witch; the earth mother; the blind seer; the threshold guardian; and the naïve young man from the country. Types of Characters (cont.)