lit terms #2 characters

Antagonist

A person or force working against the protagonist.

Anthropomorphism

An animal that takes on human characteristics (e.g., walking, talking).

Antihero

A protagonist in a modern work who does not exhibit the qualities of the traditional hero.

Archetype

A detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is considered universal.

Aside

In drama, a convention by which actors speak briefly to the audience, supposedly without being heard by other actors on stage.

Bildungsroman

A novel that recounts the psychological and sometimes spiritual development of an individual from childhood to maturity, to the point at which the protagonist recognizes his or her place and role in the world.

Caricature

The exaggeration of specific features of appearance or personality.

Catharsis

The emotional effect a tragic drama has on its audience; a “cleansing.” Aristotle said tragedy provided the audience with the opportunity to purge the emotions of pity and fear.

Character

A figure in a literary work.

Flat characters

Characters defined by a single idea or quality.

Round characters

Characters who have the three-dimensional complexity of real people.

Static characters

Characters who don’t change significantly over the course of a work.

Dynamic characters

Characters who change in response to circumstance and experience.

Characterization

Various means by which an author describes and develops the characters in a literary work.

Direct Characterization

Narrator’s description of a character.

Indirect Characterization

Characters’ actions, dialogue, or other characters’ comments about them.

Dialogue

Conversation between two or more characters in a literary work.

Epiphany

A moment of sudden revelation or insight.

Foil

A character who, by his contrast with the main character, serves to accentuate that character’s distinctive qualities or characteristics.

Hubris

Excessive pride that constitutes the protagonist’s tragic flaw and leads to his/her downfall.

Narrator

A speaker through whom an author presents a narrative, often but not always a character in the work.

Protagonist

The character around which the action is centered.

Soliloquy

A speech in which a character, alone on a stage, addresses him/herself; it is a “thinking out loud,” a dramatic means of letting an audience know a character’s thoughts/feelings or some other important information.

Tragic Hero

The central character in a tragedy who experiences a tragic downfall. The tragic hero has a tragic flaw (also referred to as hamartia) which is the error, misstep, frailty, or flaw that causes the downfall.