Unit 1: Fiction
Character
Fiction is like a spider’s
web, attached ever so lightly
perhaps, but still attached to
life at all four corners.
—Virginia Woolf
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What is fiction?
• Fiction is a category of literature that includes
any work of prose that tells an invented or
imaginary story.
What are the two main
forms of fiction?
• The two main forms of fiction are the short
story and the novel.
What are your favorite
types of fiction?
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Realistic fiction
Science fiction
Fantasy
Horror
Historical fiction
Sports fiction
Mystery
Westerns
What are the purposes of
fiction?
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To entertain readers
To show readers new and different ideas
To provide readers with an escape from reality
To teach readers to be understanding and
sympathetic
• To help readers explore unknown worlds
What are the five elements
of fiction?
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Plot
Point of view
Characters
Setting
Theme
Characters
• Characters are imaginary people or animals
who take part in the action of a literary work.
I have tried every device I know to breathe
life into my characters, for there is little in
fiction more rewarding than to see real
people interact on a page.
—James A. Michener
What do you think makes fictional characters
seem like real people? What makes a character
memorable?
Characterization
• The act of creating or describing a character is
called characterization.
• Writers use three major techniques to form a
character:
– Showing what characters say, do, or think
– Showing what other characters (and the narrator)
say or think about them
– Describing what physical features, dress, and
personality the characters display
Characterization
• In this excerpt, readers get to know Gary by
what he says and does.
I leaned forward and said, “Well, I think we have lots of talent.” Oh?
like who, for example? she said. I said, “Well, I could do something.”
You? she said. “Or I could get together with some other kids and we
could do a skit.” Like what? she said. I said, “Oh, I don’t know.
Something about the school burning down. It all depends.”
“That doesn’t sound funny to me,” she said. Marcy didn’t think it
was funny either.
What burned my toast was her saying “You?” when I volunteered to
be in her talent show. I was only being helpful…
—from “Gary Keillor,”
by Garrison Keillor
Characterization
• In this excerpt, readers learn about Joby by
what the narrator says about him.
…At midnight a peach stone…struck once, like panic,
which jerked the boy upright. In silence he listened to his
own heart ruffle away, away, at last gone from his ears and
back in his chest again.
…he turned the drum on its side, where its great lunar
face peered at him whenever he opened his eyes.
His face, alert or at rest, was solemn. It was indeed a
solemn time and a solemn night for a boy just turned fourteen
in the peach field near the Owl Creek not far from the church
at Shiloh.
—from “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh,”
by Ray Bradbury
Characterization
• In this excerpt, readers get to know Lemon
Brown based on the description of his physical
appearance.
The person who called himself Lemon Brown peered forward, and Greg
could see him clearly. He was an old man. His black, heavily wrinkled face
was surrounded by a halo of crinkly white hair and whiskers that seemed to
separate his head from the layers of dirty coats piled on his smallish frame.
His pants were bagged to the knee, where they were met with rags that went
down to the old shoes. The rags were held on with strings, and there was a
rope around his middle.
—from “The Treasure of Lemon Brown,”
by Walter Dean Myers
Motivation
Characterization is the presentation of
the nature of the people in a story.
Characterization is really the
presentation of motives. We
understand a person if we
understand what makes him
act the way he does.
—Ayn Rand
Motivation
• To understand characterization, readers need to
recognize motivation.
• A motivation is a force that drives a character
to think, feel, or behave in a certain way.
• Characters can be motivated by
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the desire to succeed
the need for revenge
the burden of guilt or shame
the hope of redemption
Motivation
• Read the following excerpt from “Flowers for
Algernon.”
• Then answer the questions on the next slide.
progris report 3—martch 7
[Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur] said Miss Kinnian told that I was her bestist
pupil in the adult nite scool becaus I tryed the hardist and I reely wantid
to lern. They said how come you went to the adult nite scool all by
yourself Charlie. How did you find it. I said I askd pepul and sumbody
told me where I shud go to lern to read and spell good. They said why
did you want to. I told them becaus all my life I wantid to be smart and
not dumb.
—from “Flowers for Algernon,”
by Daniel Keyes
Motivation
• What is Charlie’s
motivation in
“Flowers for
Algernon”?
• Why do you think he
is motivated by this?
• Does his motivation
change as the story
progresses?
Major Characters
• The characters around whom a story is
centered are the major characters.
• Major characters
– play important roles in the plot of a story
– are complicated characters
– undergo some type of change
during a story
Major Characters
• Major characters can be protagonists or
antagonists.
– The protagonist is the main character in a story.
– The antagonist struggles against the protagonist.
• This struggle creates a story’s conflict.
– The protagonist and antagonist are complicated
characters.
– Like real people, each has his or her own strengths
and weaknesses.
The Protagonist
• The protagonist
– is motivated by a goal, aspiration, or desire
– uses his or her strengths to overcome conflicts or
obstacles that stand in the way of this goal
The Antagonist
• The antagonist
– is motivated by a goal, aspiration, or desire
• Often this goal is to frustrate, challenge, hurt, or destroy
the protagonist.
– uses his or her strengths to stop the actions of the
protagonist
Minor Characters
• Minor characters play less important roles in a
story.
• Minor characters
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are uncomplicated
remain unchanged throughout a story
interact with the major characters
provide clues about the major characters by
highlighting or contrasting the qualities of the
major characters
Round and Flat Characters
• In addition to being classified as major or
minor, characters can also be classified as
round or flat.
Round Characters
• Round characters
– tend to be the major characters in a story
– show a wide range of emotions and can be
unpredictable
– have their own desires and motivations
Flat Characters
• Flat characters
– tend to be the minor characters in a story
– are often stock characters or stereotypes whose
emotions and behavior are predictable
– are valuable to understanding the desires and
motivations of the major or round characters
Static and Dynamic
Characters
• Finally, characters can be classified as static or
dynamic.
• A static character does not change over the
course of a literary work.
• A dynamic character changes
as a result of the story’s events.
In the story “Flowers for Algernon,” Charlie is a
dynamic character. Fill out the chart below to
examine how he changes throughout the story.
Beginning
Describe Charlie’s
personality and
attitude.
Describe Charlie’s
level of intelligence.
Describe how others
act towards Charlie.
Describe what
Charlie thinks about
other people.
Middle
End
Methods of
Characterization
• The Methods of Characterization Chart on the
next slide was completed for Greg Ridley.
– Greg Ridley is a major character in “The Treasure
of Lemon Brown.”
• After you view this chart,
– choose a character from this unit
– complete your own Methods of Characterization
Chart using the blank template on the subsequent
slide
What the Character Says
What the Character
Thinks
He is upset that
he can’t play
basketball.
The Character (Draw a
picture of your character.)
“You really think that
treasure of yours was
worth fighting for?
Against a pipe?”
What the
Character Does
What the Writer Says
About the Physical
Features, Dress, and
Personality of the
Character
He is stubborn—he
won’t take his
father’s advice.
Greg Ridley
He helps Lemon
Brown fend off
the men that try
to steal his
treasure.
What Other Characters Say or Think About the Character
Lemon Brown says, “You OK for a youngster.”
Complete the chart for a character from this unit.
What the Character Says
What the Character
Thinks
The Character (Draw a
picture of your character.)
What the
Character Does
What the Writer Says
About the Physical
Features, Dress, and
Personality of the
Character
What Other Characters Say or Think About the Character
SUMMARY: Character
• Authors create characters by
– showing what the characters say, do, and think
– showing what others say or think about the characters
– describing the characters’ physical features
• There are several different types of characters:
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protagonists and antagonists
major and minor characters
round and flat characters
dynamic and static characters