Fiction - Character

Terms Related to Character

Caricatures –

a character presented with an exaggeration of prominent features

Character –

a person in a piece of literature

Dynamic character –

a character that changes during the story

Static –

a character that does not change during the story

Flat character –

a character described with only one or two personality traits; a superficial character

Round character – 

a character whose personality is multi-dimensional; a complicated character

Motivation –

the reasons a character takes or does not take action

Foil –

a character created as a contrast to another character as a way of focusing attention on the traits of that other character such as a character taking an unethical approach in order to focus attention on another character taking the ethical approach.

Sidekick –

a character subordinate to another character; often used for comic relief

Stock characters –

stereotyped characters such as the good doctor, the determined detective, the kindly old neighbor lady

Tragic hero –

a character of elevated status who is a good person but for a tragic flaw which brings about his or her downfall

Tragic flaw – 

an undesirable personality trait that results in the fall of an otherwise good person

Hubris –

arrogance; an attribute where a character (or a person) has an exaggerated sense of him or herself or his or her importance

Dialogue –

a conversation between or among characters

Monologue –

a long speech-like expression by one character where the other present characters are silent; used more commonly in plays than fiction; a dramatic monologue is a particularly emotional expression

Asides –

where a character makes a comment to the audience which is supposedly not heard by the other characters; used in drama

Soliloquy –

where a character shares his or her feelings or thoughts with the audience where no other character can hear them.