Step-by-Step Guide to Literary Analysis
By Dr Joy
Worksheet B: Characters
Reminder: Always cite the source when quoting words directly from a work, like this: “Quoted words” (Last Name page).
B1: Understanding Types of Characters
1. Clear-Cut Characters
While it can be rare to read a story that has main characters with an absolute positive or negative traits, it is pretty common for a story to have main characters with dominant positive or negative characteristics. Such clear-cut characters are easy to identify:
· Protagonist, also called hero, is a main character who possesses mostly positive and desirable characteristics that readers want to identify with and who also produces most positive changes or results in the plot development.
· Antagonist, also called villain, is a main character who is mostly negative and functions as an opposing force and with a contrasting presence, to the protagonist or the most positive character in the story.
· Supporting characters are other (main) characters.
2. Hard-to-Tell Characters
It is also common for a story to have main characters with both positive and negative sides, which are almost equally noticeable and significant. Such characters thus are ineligible for or short of a protagonist or antagonist status, and readers tend to disagree about them. When analyzing such controversial gray-area characters, we can use another system for analysis: System of Importance.
In System of Importance, characters in a story are labeled with numbers, not with verbal labels which often reveal a value judgment on the characters. Namely, characters are numbered in terms of their importance, whether positive or negative, like this:
3. Single or Collective Characters
B2: Categorizing Main Characters
B3: Choosing an Analysis System
Reminder: Always cite the source when quoting words directly from a work, like this: “Quoted words” (Last Name page).
B1: Understanding Types of Characters
1. Clear-Cut Characters
While it can be rare to read a story that has main characters with an absolute positive or negative traits, it is pretty common for a story to have main characters with dominant positive or negative characteristics. Such clear-cut characters are easy to identify:
· Protagonist, also called hero, is a main character who possesses mostly positive and desirable characteristics that readers want to identify with and who also produces most positive changes or results in the plot development.
· Antagonist, also called villain, is a main character who is mostly negative and functions as an opposing force and with a contrasting presence, to the protagonist or the most positive character in the story.
· Supporting characters are other (main) characters.
2. Hard-to-Tell Characters
It is also common for a story to have main characters with both positive and negative sides, which are almost equally noticeable and significant. Such characters thus are ineligible for or short of a protagonist or antagonist status, and readers tend to disagree about them. When analyzing such controversial gray-area characters, we can use another system for analysis: System of Importance.
In System of Importance, characters in a story are labeled with numbers, not with verbal labels which often reveal a value judgment on the characters. Namely, characters are numbered in terms of their importance, whether positive or negative, like this:
- Character #1
- Character #2
- Character #3
- Character #4
- Character #5
3. Single or Collective Characters
- Single Character: an individual as one character--most common.
- Couple Character: a couple, often married or romantically related, as one unit sharing same key character traits.
- Compound Character: a group of individuals as one unit sharing mostly same key character traits.
B2: Categorizing Main Characters
- List the main characters.
- Then, put the main characters in the right categories, based on their dominant characteristics and functions in the story:
- Mostly Positive Characters:
- Mostly Negative Characters:
- Hard-to-Tell Characters:
B3: Choosing an Analysis System
- Based on B2, is there a qualified protagonist? If yes, who? Support your choice with some key details from the work.
- Based on B2, is there a legible antagonist? If yes, who? Support your choice with some key details from the work.
- If no, use System of Importance and rank the top 3-5 characters:
- Character #1:
- Character #2:
- Character #3:
- Character #4:
- Character #5: