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Characterization
AP test prep
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| antagonist | a character or force in conflict with a main character, a villain |
| character | a person or animal who takes part in the action of a literary work |
| flat character | embodies a single quality and does not develop in the course of a story |
| static character | a character that does not change |
| round character | demonstrates some complexity and develops or changes in the course of a work |
| dynamic character | a character that changes |
| direct characterization | the writer tells us directly what a characters personality is like |
| indirect characterization | a writer allows us to exercise our own judgement by putting clues together to infer what a character is like, through how he appears, speaks, thinks, feels, relates to other characters, or acts |
| foil | a character who is contrasted with another character |
| hero | a characters whose actions are inspiring or noble |
| hamartia | the error, frailty, mistake judgement, or misstep through which the fortunes of the hero of a tragedy are reversed |
| hubris | overweening pride or insolence that results in the misfortune of the protagonist of a tragedy |
| tragic flaw | the theory that there is a flaw int he tragic hero that causes his or her downfall |
| motivation | a reason that explains or partially explains a character's thoughts, feelings, actions, or behavior |
| protagonist | the main character in a literary work |
| stereotype (stock character) | a fixed idea or conception of a character or an idea that does not that does not allow for any individuality and is often based on religious, social or racial prejudices |
| villain | an evil character, potentially or actually guilty of serious crimes |