Lecture 6: Characters—Round and Flat, Major and Minor
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in *UHDW([SHFWDWLRQV, yet she never develops or changes.o It’s possible to have a story or a novel that is peopled entirely
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the same effect nearly every time he appears. Holmes is also
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but can be quite detailed.Round Characters
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test of a round character is whether it is capable of surprising in a
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encapsulated in the metaphor we use to describe them: They curve up
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every angle.z Round characters are also richer, deeper, more mysterious, and more
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character can do—come vividly to life, be memorable and instantly
recognizable, and be engaging and entertaining—but they can also
surprise, delight, and disappoint us in the same way as real people.
Further, as Forster notes, they don’t just surprise us, but they surprise us
in a convincing way.
o Flat characters can be surprising, but they provide the sort of
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a trustworthy character suddenly turns out to be the murderer
or the double agent. Although this kind of a surprise can be
effective, it also sometimes comes across as a kind of cheating,
and our response can sometimes be a groan or a roll of the eyes.