Literary Terms: characterization
Characterization is an important part of making a story interesting. To move readers, characters need to seem real. Authors do this by giving details that make characters real and different from others. Good characterization gives readers a sense of characters' personalities and complexities. It makes characters alive, vivid, and believable.
Types of Characterization
An author uses two ways to give information in order to build a character:
1. Direct characterization
This characterization uses a direct approach towards constructing a character. Another character, narrator or the protagonist himself to tell the readers or audience about someone.
Example: "Hazel had perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn't think about anything except in short bursts. And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear...Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains."
-The author tells us directly that Hazel is of average intelligence and George's intelligence is way above normal.
2. Indirect or implicit characterization
This is a subtle way of introducing the character to the audience. The audience has to figure out for themselves the characteristics of the character by observing his/her thought appearance, behavior, way of talking, thought process, and communication with other characters.
Example: "Harrison tore the straps of his handicap harness like wet tissue paper, tore straps guaranteed to support five thousand pounds."
-What does this tell us about Harrison's strength indirectly? Is he strong or weak?
-He must be strong.
An author uses two ways to give information in order to build a character:
1. Direct characterization
This characterization uses a direct approach towards constructing a character. Another character, narrator or the protagonist himself to tell the readers or audience about someone.
Example: "Hazel had perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn't think about anything except in short bursts. And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear...Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains."
-The author tells us directly that Hazel is of average intelligence and George's intelligence is way above normal.
2. Indirect or implicit characterization
This is a subtle way of introducing the character to the audience. The audience has to figure out for themselves the characteristics of the character by observing his/her thought appearance, behavior, way of talking, thought process, and communication with other characters.
Example: "Harrison tore the straps of his handicap harness like wet tissue paper, tore straps guaranteed to support five thousand pounds."
-What does this tell us about Harrison's strength indirectly? Is he strong or weak?
-He must be strong.