Characterization
AP Literature and Composition
2007
What is a character?
Consider your favorite character from the
summer reading texts.
Write down a few reasons why you chose
this character.
How did the author develop the character?
Characterization Defined
Characterization is the method used by a
writer to develop a character.
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_terms/characterization.html
The term characterization refers to the
various means by which an author describes
and develops the characters in a literary
work.
The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms
Two types of characters
Round – a round character is one who
usually changes or develops
Flat – a flat character is a stock character; a
stereotype like the hero or the villain.
Note Details
Characterization is about the selection of
details. Note the character traits.
Circumstances don’t make the character.
How a character is revealed:
(1) showing the character's appearance
(2) displaying the character's actions
(3) revealing the character's thoughts
(4) letting the character speak
(5) getting the reactions of others
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_terms/characterization.html
SATDO – a useful acronym
S – What the character says
A – The character’s appearance (and
environment)
T – The character’s thoughts
D – What the character does (inward and
outward behavior)
O – What others say about the character
Verisimilitude
Truth
What a writer strives to do – how does the
writer create a realistic character?
The character should be plausible!
What should you write about?
Who is the central character, or who are the
central characters? What means has the
author used to demonstrate their qualities?
To what extent are the characters defined by
contrast with minor characters?
The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction
What should you write about?
Do we understand the characters as types or
as individuals? By their actions? Their
speech? Their thoughts? (It may be useful
for you to a single instance of action,
speech, or thought and ask in what ways it
represents the character to whom it is
attributed.)
The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction
What should you write about?
Which characters are active and which
passive within the pattern of the story?
The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction
What should you write about?
Does the story show growth or change of
character? How much of the story’s
meaning depends on such growth or
change?
The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction
What should you write about?
How much of the conflict in the story arises
from an opposition between the central
character and his or her environment?
The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction
What should you write about?
Is the conflict inherent in the personality of
the characters assembled by the author, or
in the backgrounds they represent?
The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction
What should you write about?
How has the author worked to involve the
reader’s sympathies for certain characters,
and how does this contribute to the reader’s
assessment of the issues of the conflict?
The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction
What should you write about?
How much are the characters (or their
representation) conditioned by their time
and place?
The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction
Structure
Your essay should be about three
paragraphs long – literally a beginning,
middle, and an end. No longer than a page
(I mean this!!)
TAG the first paragraph: Title, Author,
Genre
Type, 1.5 spacing, 11-point font