ELEMENTS OF FICTION
CHARACTER
A CHARACTER IS…
• (sometimes known as a fictional character) is a person or other being
in a narrative work of art (such as a novel, play, television series,
or film).The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life
person.
• Character, particularly when enacted by an actor in
the theatre or cinema, involves "the illusion of being a human person.
• Since the 19th century, the art of creating characters, as
practiced by actors or writers, has been
called characterization.
KINDS OF CHARACTERS
• In his book Aspects of the Novel, E. M. Forster defined two basic types
of characters, their qualities, functions, and importance for the
development of the novel: flat characters and round characters.
FLAT, ROUND, DYNAMIC AND STATIC
• Flat characters are two-dimensional, in that they are relatively
uncomplicated.
• By contrast, round characters are complex figures with many different
characteristics, that undergo development, sometimes sufficiently to
surprise the reader.
• Mary Sues are characters mainly appearing in fan fiction.
They are virtually devoid of flaws,and are therefore
considered flat characters.
• Dynamic characters are the ones that change over
the course of the story,
• Static characters remain the same throughout.
PROTAGONIST AND ANTAGONISTS
• A protagonist (from Ancient Greek πρωταγωνιστής (protagonistes), meaning 'player
of the first part, chief actor') is the main character in any story, such as a literary work
or drama
• False protagonist – one who may seem to be the protagonist, but then may disappear
unexpectedly
• An antagonist is a character, group of characters, institution or concept
that stands in or represents opposition against which the protagonist(s)
must contend. In other words, an antagonist is a person or a group of
people who opposes a protagonist
• The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής antagonistēs , "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, rival," which is
derived from anti-("against") and agonizesthai("to contend for a prize")
• In the classic style of stories where the action consists of a hero fighting
a villain/enemy, the two may be regarded as protagonist and antagonist, respectively.
• However, the villain of the story is not always the same as the antagonist, as some
narratives cast the villain in the protagonist role, with the opposing hero as the
antagonist. An antagonist also may represent a threat or obstacle to the main
character by its existence and not necessarily targeting him or her in a deliberate
manner.
FOIL
• In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character —
usually the protagonist— in order to highlight particular qualities of the
other character.
• In some cases, a subplot can be used as a foil to the main plot. This is
especially true in the case of metafiction and the "story within a story"
motif. The word foil comes from the old practice of backing gems with
foil in order to make them shine more brightly
SIDEKICK
• A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague
(not necessarily in fiction) who is, or generally regarded as,
subordinate to the one he or she accompanies.
RECURRING AND MINOR CHARACTERS
• In television, a regular, main or ongoing character is a character who
appears in all or a majority of episodes, or in a significant chain of
episodes of the series.Regular characters may be both core and
secondary ones.
• A recurring character often and frequently appears from time to time
during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in
more than one episode, sometimes being the main focus.
• A guest character is one which acts only in a few episodes or scenes.