English 1
Writing
Fiction
Character
Types
Fictional characters should be divided into Major
and Minor Characters, depending
on how important they are for the plot. A good indicator as to whether a
character is major or minor is the amount of time and dialogue he or she is
given. As a rule of thumb, major characters usually have much to say and appear
frequently throughout the story while minor characters have less dialogue or
appear randomly. Stories usually have
one or more major
(also main) characters
and any number of minor characters.
The main character, especially when there is
only one, is also called the protagonist. The protagonist
is the character who dominates the narrative.
The term protagonist has the advantage that it implies no value-judgment
and can include heroes or heroines (i.e. positive main characters) as well as
anti-heroes and anti-heroines (i.e. negative main characters). In some narratives, the protagonist has an
influential enemy, the antagonist.
Minor characters often remain one-dimensional and/or static. This means that the story
presents only few or even just one characteristic of such characters
(mono-dimensional) and that there is little or no development throughout the
narrative (static). An important
function of minor characters is to serve as foil-characters. A foil is a piece of shiny metal put
under gemstones to increase their brightness. A foil character thus provides a
contrast to highlight the features of the main character. Another function of a minor character can be
that of confidant,
i.e. a close friend of the protagonist to whom he or she can confide in and
thus disclose his or her innermost thoughts.
Other
terms to know and use: