X.J Kennedy Literature Chapter 4 Key terms

Characterization

Characterization

The techniques a writer uses to create, reveal, or develop the characters in a narrative.

Character description

An aspect of characterization through which the author overtly relates either physical or mental traits of a character. This description is almost invariably a sign of what lurks beneath the surface of the character.

Character development

The process by which a character is introduced, advanced, and possibly transformed in a story.

Motivation

What a character in a narrative wants; the reasons an author provides for a character's actions. ______ can be either explicit (the reasons are specifically stated in a story) or implicit (the reasons are only hinted at or partially revealed).

Flat (or static) character

A term coined by English novelist E. M. Forster to describe a character with only one outstanding trait. ______ are rarely the central characters in a narrative and stay the same throughout a story.

Round (or dynamic) character

A term also coined by Forster to describe a complex character who is presented in depth in a narrative. _______are those who change significantly during the course of a narrative or whose full personalities are revealed gradually throughout the story.

Stock character

A common or stereotypical character. Examples of _______are the mad scientist, the battle-scarred veteran, and the strong but silent cowboy.

Hero

The central character in a narrative. The term _____ often implies positive moral attributes.

Antihero

A protagonist who is lacking in one or more of the conventional qualities attributed to a hero. Instead of being dignified, brave, idealistic, or purposeful, for instance, the ____ may be buffoonish, cowardly, self-interested, or weak.