Lecture Notes on Characterization

Summary

In today's lecture, we discussed how to effectively characterize a character in literary texts. Characterization involves describing both the external and internal attributes of a character. We explored how characters should be presented within the context of the narrative, noting the importance of observing their appearance, behavior, thoughts, feelings, and relationships with other characters. We distinguished between direct and indirect characterization, and discussed the structure of a characterization text, including the introduction, main part, and conclusion.

Key Points on Characterization

Introduction to Characterization

• Characterization describes both inner (mental, emotional traits) and outer (appearance, observable behavior) aspects of a character.
• Purpose: Helps place the character in the overall context of the story.

Important Aspects to Consider

1. Appearance: How the character looks.
2. Behavior: How the character acts.
3. Thoughts and Feelings: Insights into the character’s internal states.
4. Relationships: Interactions with other characters, which help to define their role in the story.

Direct vs. Indirect Characterization

• Direct Characterization: Explicit statements about the character, including factual details like name, age, and residence. It can also include direct expression of thoughts and feelings.
• Indirect Characterization: Traits inferred from the character’s actions, dialogue, or other characters’ reactions to them. For instance, being consistently late could suggest unreliability.

Writing a Characterization

• Begin with marking references in the text that hint at characteristics, grouping them by category using colored markers.
• Structure your write-up into an introduction, main body, and conclusion.

Structure of Characterization

• Introduction: Start by stating crucial text details (title, author, text type, date of publication) and a summary sentence about the text’s main plot.
  • Example: "The novel 'Tschick' by Wolfgang Herrndorf, published in 2010, revolves around the unexpected friendship and adventures of two teenagers, Maik and Tschick."
• Main Body: Divide into two parts:
  1. External Characteristics: Description of physical appearances.
     • Example: Description of a new student’s appearance in class.
  2. Internal Characteristics: Description of psychological traits, emotional landscape, attitudes, and character development throughout the story.
     • Example: Highlight behaviors that set the character apart, such as unusual conduct.
• Conclusion: Summarize your observations and freely express a concluded opinion about the character, substantiated by the analysis.
  • Example: "In conclusion, the character demonstrates dynamic tendencies as illustrated by..."

Tips for Effective Characterization

• Always maintain objectivity; personal opinions should be kept separate unless it is a critique which is supported by the text.
• It's essential to reference text pages when making specific points to support claims about the character.

Visual Aids

• Use color-coded markers to categorize different traits or noteworthy points during the initial analysis.

Call for Action

• Encourage revisiting and thoroughly analyzing the text to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the character.

By adhering to these guidelines and properly employing direct and indirect methods of characterization, one can craft a detailed and insightful portrayal of characters in any literary work.