Background Reading
for Advanced Synthetic Characters
Selmer Bringsjord
Professor of Logic, Philosophy, Cognitive Science, and Computer Science
with Jason Wodicka, Chris McEvoy, Marc Destefano, and Paul Bello
Rensselaer AI & Reasoning (RAIR) Laboratory (Director)
Department of Cognitive Science (Chair)
Department of Computer Science
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Troy NY 12180 USA
4.7.03 Logic & Artificial Intelligence
Step 1: Study the Craft
Advanced Synthetic Characters: Background Reading
A classic originally published in 1946. Egri shows that at the core of all good dramatic writing (whatever its form) stand
not rules for cranking out text, but fully developed characters. This book introduces the so-called "dialectical method," and
connects it to case studies created on the fly, and to great drama of the past (e.g., Ibsen, and e.g. his immortal Nora). From
the standpoint of AI and the creation of advanced synthetic characters, the book is daunting, as it asserts that to be a decent
playwright one must have a monstrous amount of knowledge drawn from psychology, sociology, economics, and so on.
Kress breaks down the complex art of writing into numerous techniques of representation. The first third of the book
concentrates on techniques of characterization. From an AI stance, the book presents a few interesting challenges: it
presents evidence that a character’s exterior presentation must be tightly bound to his or her history, and it asserts that all
truly developed characters must be based on the author’s own internal emotional state and life experiences.
An adaptation of Stanislavsky’s Method for actors to writing, Collins focuses on the presentation of characters within
narrative. The techniques it includes for demonstrating emotion through action appear readily applicable to the
representational aspects of ASCs. However, much of the information about specific emotion is assumed to be drawn from
the author’s personal life experiences, making some of its techniques difficult to apply.
Halperin’s eight chapters can be considered as separate essays, each tackling one aspect of characterization. Of particular
use in ASCs are the chapters on interior motivation and cultural legacy, which provide useful “template” information to set
a character within an internal and social context.
Adv. Synthetic Characters: Background Read. Con.
A dictionary of character details, McCutcheon is of primary use in populating knowledge bases for use in character
generation. It provides a useful reference of physical traits, mannerisms, modes of dress and common names from which
the groundwork for deeper representation could be laid.
Edelstein is a “cookbook” of character traits, organized by types of characters they are appropriate to. Within the confines
of AI research, it useful in the sub-categorization of broad character traits into more specific associated details.
Hood provides a sequence of 3-4 page treatments of specific emotions, focusing on how to convey them effectively in
prose. Although the book is primarily concerned with the language used to represent them, its discussion of emotional
impact on behavior makes it useful in the generation of ASCs.
Primarily a guide to script-writing, Wolff contains a single chapter on creating three-dimensional characters that provides a
first-draft structure for representing knowledge about a character. The current under-construction vMEM ASC is based on
the 31-question overview of a character provided here as a starting point on which to base a Q/A system.
A collection of short essays on writing, Dickson contains a great deal of shallow and stereotypical information. Many of its
essays on characterization are better considered as tactics to avoid using – they seem to favor quick solutions over deep
representation. However, its discussion of the importance of central traits and character flaws in creating empathy is
significant for the deep representation of such traits in ASCs.
Chapter I: Premise
• A play without a premise
(in Egri’s sense of the
term) is doomed.
• Examples:
– Romeo & Juliet:
• “Great love defies even
death.”
– King Lear:
• “Blind love leads to
destruction”
– Macbeth
• “Ruthless ambition leads
to its own destruction”
Chapter I: Premise con.
• Egri:
– “The above premise—for that
matter, every good premise—is
composed of three parts, each
of which is essential to a good
play. Let us examine
‘Frugality leads to waste.’ The
first part of this premise
suggests character—a frugal
character. The second part,
‘leads to,’ suggest conflict, and
the third part, ‘waste,’ suggests
the end of the play.” (p. 8)
– “Without [a clearly defined
premise] it is impossible to
know your characters. A
premise has to contain:
character, conflict, and
resolution.” (p. 29)
Chapter II.1: Character/The Bone Structure
• Egri:
– “Every object has three
dimensions: depth, height,
width. Human beings have
an additional three
dimensions: physiology,
sociology, psychology.
Without a knowledge of
these three dimensions we
cannot appraise a humann
being.” (p. 33)
• “Tridimensional”
characters exhibit all three
categories.
Chapter II.1: Character/The Bone Structure
• Physiology
–
–
–
–
–
–
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Sex
Age
Height and weight
Color of hair, eyes, skin
Posture
Appearance:
• Good-looking, over- or
underweight, clean, neat,
pleasant, tidy. Shape of head,
face, limbs.
– 7. Defects:
• deformities, abnormalities,
birthmarks. Diseases.
– 8. Heredity
Chapter II.1: Character/The Bone Structure
•
Sociology
– 1. Class:
• lower, middle, upper
– 2. Occupation:
• type of work, hours of work, income, condition of
work, union or non-union, attitude toward
organization, suitability for work
– 3. Education:
• amount, kind of schools, marks, favorite subjects,
poorest subjects, aptitutdes
– 4. Home life:
• parents living, earning power, orphan, parents
separated or divorced, parents’ habits, parents’
mental development, parents’ vices, neglect.
Character’s marital status.
– 5. Religion
– 6. Race, nationality:
– 7. Place in community:
• leader among friends, clubs, sports.
– 8. Political affiliations
– 9. Amusements, hobbies:
• books, newspapers, magazines he reads.
Chapter II.1: Character/The Bone Structure
•
Psychology
–
–
–
–
1.
2.
3.
4.
Sex life, moral standards
Personal premise, ambition
Frustration, chief disappointment
Temperment:
• choleric, easygoing, pessimistic,
optimistic.
– 5. Attitude toward life:
• resigned, militant, defeatist
– 6. Complexes:
• Obsessions, inhibitions, superstitions,
phobias
– 7. Extrovert, introvert, ambivert
– 8. Abilities:
• languages, talents
– 9. Qualities:
• imagination, judgment, taste, poise
– 10. IQ
“Tridimensionality” in RASCALS
“Bone Structure:” Physiology, Sociology, Psychology…
Physiology: 1. Sex, 2. Age, 3. Height & Weight, …
Sociology: 1. Class, 2. Occupation, 3. Education, …
Psychology: 1. Sex life, moral standards, 2. Personal premise, ambition,
3. Frustrations, chief disappointments, …