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| Character is the element of fiction that focuses on the individuals involved in the plot; these are usually human but could be animals or even forces of nature. |
| Generally a plot will feature a protagonist, the major character, and an antagonist who engineers an obstacle to the goal of the protagonist. Novels will usually be a number of secondary or minor characters whose lives intersect with the main character in a variety of ways. |
| Characters must be realistic; they must act and sound like people in the situations we find in the plot of the novel. |
| Characters must be internally consistent; any change in a character must be caused by the circumstances or the actions of some other character. |
| Some characters are flat, stereotypical: the handsome prince, the heroic soldier, the lovely princess, the evil counselor. We expect them to behave in a certain, limited way and they do not disappoint. |
| Strong characters are rounded; they exhibit the full range of human emotions and reactions to people and events. They have histories and more than one possible future. They have hopes and fears. |
| We tend to be able to visualize strong, rounded characters as having a life outside the novel in which they appear. We can imagine Scarlet O'Hara transplanted from Tara to a modern boardroom, for example. |
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Novels
© 2005 Dr. Agatha Taormina
Last Revised:
June 28, 2005
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