chapter on characterization

Direct Characterization

in which writers plainly tell us about the people who inhabit their fictional worlds.

Motivation

"Why did he or she do that?" The reason a character behaves a certain way is called motivation. A character's motives may arise from feelings, experiences, or others' actions.

Dynamic Character

A character who seems to live and breathe, who grows and changes during a story is called a dynamic character.

Flat Character

A flat character has only one or two traits, which can be described in one or two words, such as shy or demanding.

Static Character

A static character does not change in the course of a story. A static character's main function is to provide a foil, or contrast, to the story's main character.

Flashback

Any scene that presents events that happened before the main time frame of a story

Antagonist

Boo! Hiss! The story's antagonist conflicts with the protagonist, attempting to prevent the protagonist from attaining his or her goals. You can usually identify a story's antagonist by asking yourself, "Who's the bad guy here?"

External conflict

Man vs society,nature,religion etc

Mood

Mood is created by a writer's word choice and by details of setting and affects the way we feel as we're reading

characters

The people you meet in a story, poem, or play

Indirect Characterization

Sometimes you have to judge for yourself what a character is like, rather than rely on a narrator's perceptions. Indirect characterization allows you to observe characters in action.

Conflict

The struggle or clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions is referred to as conflict. Here are the basic types of conflicts

Setting

The time period and place in which the action of a story takes place

Round Character

Warm . . . funny . . . brainy . . . bossy. Like a real person, a round character has many different character traits, some admirable and others not so admirable.

Protagonist

Whom do you root for in a story? Very often you root for the main character, who is also referred to as a protagonist.

characterization

Writers reveal a character's personality through

Rising Action

chain of events that takes place as the main character struggles to achieve his or her goal

Resolution

events following the climax in which any remaining issues are resolved

Falling action

events that lead to the events of the story

Internal conflict

man vs self

Exposition

part of the story in which the basic situation is outlined and the characters and main conflict are introduced

Suspense

the feeling of uncertainty or anxiety about what is going to happen next. Writers create suspense by hinting at what may happen

Climax

the point of highest emotional intensity; sometimes the point at which we learn the outcome of the conflict

Foreshadowing

the use of such clues to hint at what is going to happen later in a story