Character Notes from "the Literary Experience" and "Notes on Character"

1) character: the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.
2) character: a person represented in a drama, story, etc.
3) Vividly imagined characters can, in effect, speak to the writers who create them-not just the audience
4) If we don't conceive characters as people we have the ability to know, then they will seem fake, unconvincing, and insignificant
5) Protagonist is usually the hero or heroine (the good guy)
6) Antagonist is the villain (the bad guy)
7) Characterization: (the technique of creating a sense of character)
8) Some authors' characterization methods may seem discrete, allowing the characters to dialogue and letting the reader listen and observe things for himself.
9) Asking "why" questions leads writers into developing powerful ideas
10) A "what" question could be a good starting place for description and summary
11) A "how" question might turn a writer to the artist's craft as opposed to the character's development
12) The simplest "whys" can lead to a significant and deeply interacting sense of character
13) Many artists get their ideas of characters from people close to them (family, friends, co-workers)
14) Building concern for a character is a vital step in immersing oneself in literature
15) Concern for character often grows from immediate personal concerns and identification with the character
16) Dynamic character changes throughout the literary work
17) Static character does not change throughout the work
18) Round character have depth many dimensions to their being
19) Flat characters are not known by the audience they are superficial
20) stock characters are flat characters who may be of use to help move a plot forward or provide a little bit of significant information necessary for a larger purpose.
21) simple characters that are used to unveil qualities and complexities of major characters are termed foils
22) characters are developed by being shown live in action through: physical description (what they wear, way they move and sound), the things they say, the things they do, the way they are responded to, and their thoughts, if they are shown