Character Notes

A character is a person, an animal, or an imaginary creature that takes part in the action of a story.

Authors either directly describe a character’s appearance, personality, or feelings, or leave clues and expect you to draw conclusions about what the person/animal is like.

Authors use characterization by describing the character through

• Actions
• Speech
• Behavior
• Feelings
• Thoughts
• Interactions with other characters

Kinds of characters

• Main character  PROTAGONIST
• Antagonist-works against the protagonist is a main character
• Minor characters-less important
• Static characters-stay the same
• Dynamic characters-change from start to end

From The Reader's Handbook