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Characterization and Setting. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS How does a writer create a well- developed character? What makes some characters more memorable than others? How does setting help to give the reader a better understanding of a story?. Techniques for Developing Characters.
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Characterization and Setting ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS How does a writer create a well- developed character? What makes some characters more memorable than others? How does setting help to give the reader a better understanding of a story?
Techniques for Developing Characters • Readers get to know a character through the following: • Physical appearance and personality • Speech, behavior, and actions • Thoughts and feelings • Interactions with other characters
Methods of Characterization DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION • The author states aspects of the character’s personality or traits. • Example: • His name was Joshua Wood--arguably the greatest mountaineer in the world. I hadn’t seen him in seven years and he looked about as comfortable in his suit as I did in mine… His lips were chapped and his nose was peeling, giving him the overall look of someone who had just been dug out from under an avalanche.
Methods of Characterization INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION • The author implies (gives clues about) a character’s personality or traits through physical description, actions, and reactions from other characters. • Example: • Josh was halfway down the hallway, tearing the tie off his neck like it was an anaconda.
Types of Characters • Protagonist: the main character • Antagonist: the person or thing working against the main character • Minor characters: less important characters who interact with the main character and one another
Ways to describe characters… • Static Characters: stay the same throughout the story. • Dynamic Characters: change from beginning to end. They often learn something. • Understanding how a character develops will help you understand an author’s message, or theme. • Round Characters: characters who are complex, realistic, and fully-developed • Flat Characters: minor characters who do not undergo major change or development
Setting Terms • GENERAL SETTING • Overall location and time period of a story • IMMEDIATE SETTING • The exact time and place in which an individual event in a story takes place
Techniques for Creating Setting • Sensory Details • References to time and place