Literary Element: Character (From Art of the Novel. Croft and Cross)

C. Character (Major/Minor)

Character is the jewel in the novel’s crown, the thing it does most memorably. The novel can

show attitudes towards characters in great depth and variety, the development of characters

through time, and both psychological depth and external interest.

Methods of presenting character: Identify moments that reveal characters most memorably

and ask what methods of presentation make these moments stand out?

· Does the narrator describe them? What is the narrator’s attitude to them (sympathetic,

sympathetic though critical, critical)?

· Is the focus of the description on appearance, moral or social qualities, behaviour, or

something else? If the focus is on appearance, what kinds of elements are described and

what clues do these give us about the character?

· Are we given a true and complete impression early on? It important information about

the character withheld until later? Or is the presentation progressive?

· Are the characters presented mainly through what they do, the decisions they make, or

through how and what they think?

· Are the characters revealed through their own, or others’ dialogue?

· Do the characters have a particular style of speech? What characterizes this? Is it what

they talk about, or how they express themselves, or both, that is striking?

· Are characters presented and illuminated through contrast with another character or

characters (foil or doppelganger)? What kinds of contrast? Generational, sexual, class,

other?

Role or purpose of character:

· What does the author seem to want to convey through different characters? (An

important moral standpoint, a criticism of unacceptable values or behaviour, a focus on

the evolution of the characters’ understanding, a representation of an aspect of society,

or something else?

· What part do MINOR CHARACTERS play? Choose several in your texts and find the

differences in their function. Do they affect the plot, reveal important information,

contrast or pair with one of the main characters, illuminating differences in character or

attitude or values?

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