Who is a literary character? We devote our article to this issue. In it we will tell you where this name came from, what literary characters and images are, and how to describe them in literature lessons according to your desire or the teacher’s request.

Also from our article you will learn what an “eternal” image is and what images are called eternal.

Literary hero or character. Who is this?

We often hear the concept of “literary character”. But few can explain what we are talking about. And even schoolchildren who have recently returned from a literature lesson often find it difficult to answer the question. What is this mysterious word “character”?

It came to us from ancient Latin (persona, personnage). The meaning is “personality”, “person”, “person”.

So, a literary character is an active person. We are mainly talking about prose genres, since images in poetry are usually called " lyrical hero".

It is impossible to write a story or poem, novel or story without characters. Otherwise, it will be a meaningless collection of, if not words, then perhaps events. The heroes are people and animals, mythological and fantastic creatures, inanimate objects, for example, Andersen's steadfast tin soldier, historical figures and even entire nations.

Classification of literary heroes

They can confuse any literature connoisseur with their quantity. And it’s especially hard for secondary school students. And especially because they prefer to play their favorite game instead of doing homework. How to classify heroes if a teacher or, even worse, an examiner demands it?

The most win-win option: classify the characters according to their importance in the work. According to this criterion, literary heroes are divided into main and secondary. Without the main character, the work and its plot will be a collection of words. But if we lose minor characters, we will lose a certain branch storyline or expressiveness of events. But overall the work will not suffer.

The second classification option is more limited and is suitable not for all works, but for fairy tales and fantasy genres. This is the division of heroes into positive and negative. For example, in the fairy tale about Cinderella, poor Cinderella herself is a positive hero, she evokes pleasant emotions, you sympathize with her. And here are the sisters and evil stepmother- clearly heroes of a completely different type.

Characteristics. How to write?

Heroes literary works sometimes (especially in a literature lesson at school) they need a detailed description. But how to write it? The option “once upon a time there was such a hero. He is from a fairy tale about this and that” is clearly not suitable if the assessment is important. We will share with you a win-win option writing characteristics of a literary (and any other) hero. We offer you a plan with brief explanations of what and how to write.

• Introduction. Name the work and the character you will talk about. Here you can add why exactly you want to describe it.
• The place of the hero in the story (novel, story, etc.). Here you can write whether he is major or minor, positive or negative, a person or a mythical or historical figure.
• Appearance. It would not be amiss to include quotes, which will show you as an attentive reader, and will also add volume to your description.
• Character. Everything is clear here.
• Actions and their characteristics in your opinion.
• Conclusions.

That's all. Keep this plan for yourself, and it will come in handy more than once.

Famous literary characters

Although the very concept of a literary hero may seem completely unfamiliar to you, if you tell you the name of the hero, you will most likely remember a lot. Especially it concerns famous characters literature, for example, such as Robinson Crusoe, Don Quixote, Sherlock Holmes or Robin Hood, Assol or Cinderella, Alice or Pippi Longstocking.

Such heroes are called famous literary characters. These names are familiar to children and adults from many countries and even continents. Not knowing them is a sign of narrow-mindedness and lack of education. Therefore, if you don’t have time to read the work itself, ask someone to tell you about these characters.

The concept of image in literature

Along with character, you can often hear the concept of “image”. What is this? Same as the hero or not? The answer will be both positive and negative, because a literary character may well be literary way, but the image itself does not have to be a character.

We often call this or that hero an image, but nature can appear in the same image in a work. And then the topic of the examination paper can be “the image of nature in the story...”. What to do in this case? The answer is in the question itself: if we are talking about nature, you need to characterize its place in the work. Start with a description, add character elements, for example, “the sky was gloomy,” “the sun was mercilessly hot,” “the night was frightening with its darkness,” and the characterization is ready. Well, if you need a description of the hero’s image, then how to write it, see the plan and tips above.

What are the images?

Our next question. Here we will highlight several classifications. Above we looked at one - images of heroes, that is, people/animals/mythical creatures and images of nature, images of peoples and states.

Also, images can be so-called “eternal”. What's happened " eternal image"? This concept names a hero who was once created by an author or folklore. But he was so “characteristic” and special that after years and eras other authors write their characters from him, perhaps giving them other names, but that doesn’t make any difference changing Such heroes include the fighter Don Quixote, the hero-lover Don Juan and many others.

Unfortunately, modern fantasy characters do not become eternal, despite the love of fans. Why? What's better than this funny Don Quixote of Spider-Man, for example? It's difficult to explain this in a nutshell. Only reading the book will give you the answer.

The concept of "closeness" of the hero, or My favorite character

Sometimes the hero of a work or movie becomes so close and loved that we try to imitate him, to be like him. This happens for a reason, and it’s not for nothing that the choice falls on this character. Often a favorite hero becomes an image that somehow resembles ourselves. Perhaps the similarity is in character, or in the experiences of both the hero and you. Or this character is in a situation similar to yours, and you understand and sympathize with him. In any case, it's not bad. The main thing is that you imitate only worthy heroes. And there are plenty of them in the literature. We wish you to meet only with good heroes and imitate only the positive traits of their character.

Boss

He controls everything, demands obedience and respect. For him, the end justifies the means. An example is Don Corleone from " Godfather» M. Puzo.

Bad guy

Smart and charismatic. An accident happened to him in the past and it seriously affected him. Society accuses Bad Guy of all mortal sins, but he never makes excuses and does not let anyone into his heart. The bad guy becomes a man early, constantly rebels, but his rebellion is a means of self-defense. At heart he is kind and somewhat sentimental. Example: Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind by M. Mitchell.

Best friend

Stable, peaceful, always ready to help. Often he is torn between duty and your own desires. Example: Christopher Robin in A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh.

Charming

Creative, witty, constantly manipulates people. He can find the key to any heart and knows how to please a crowd. Charming is an actor, he constantly plays in his own theater. Example: Ostap Bender in “12 Chairs” by I. Ilf and E. Petrov.

Lost soul

Lives by past mistakes. Vulnerable, insightful, he sees right through people. He is lonely and unsociable and often does not fit into any society. Example: Eddie from “It’s me, Eddie” by E. Limonov.

Professor

All immersed in work. He is an expert - often with oddities. His credo: logic and knowledge. Example: Sherlock Holmes from the stories of A. Conan Doyle.

Seeker of adventures

Can't sit in one place. He is fearless, resourceful and selfish. His curiosity is insatiable, he hates theory and always wants to get to the bottom of the truth - even if it is fraught with danger. He inspires others and solves problems on his own. Example: James Bond from Ian Fleming's Casino Royale.

Warrior

Noble, principled and stern. He knows no mercy in pursuit of justice. Money and power matter to him secondary importance. He is honest and persistent. Takes revenge on enemies or saves beauties. Example: Edmond Dantes from “The Count of Monte Cristo” by A. Dumas.

Female characters

Boss

Demands attention and respect. She is sharp, adventurous and arrogant. Example: Princess Sophia from “Peter I” by A. Tolstoy.

Temptress

Smart and beautiful, she knows how to attract the attention of men. She is cynical and often manipulates people. Appreciates friends for what they can give her. Uses her attractiveness as a weapon. Always plays a role. Example: Lolita from novel of the same name V. Nabokov.

Brave girl

Solid nature, sincere, kind and friendly. She has a great sense of humor and you can rely on her. At the same time, she is skeptical and does not know how to value herself at all. Everyone loves her. In difficult situations, she will always lend a helping hand. Brave and resilient. Example: Natasha Rostova from “War and Peace” by L. Tolstoy.

Crazy

This lady is eccentric, talkative and impulsive. She tends to exaggerate, is easily distracted and believes any lie. There is no discipline. Indifferent to traditions. She wants to try everything herself and often makes decisions based on emotions. Example: Alice from “Alice in Wonderland” by L. Carroll.

White and fluffy

Naive, touching, a pure soul. She is easy to convince and easy to offend. She is passive and constantly needs a prince on a white horse. Often falls in love with the wrong person, defends himself only in desperate situations. He understands everyone and accepts everyone. Example: Cinderella from the fairy tale of the same name by C. Perrault.

Librarian

Clever, bookworm. Persistent, serious, you can rely on her. She is unsociable and tries to hide her feelings from others. Perfectionist. She considers herself ugly and does not even try to seduce anyone. Lives in his own world and loves to learn. Serious passions often boil in her soul. Example: Miss Marple from Agatha Christie's detective stories.

Crusader

Fights for what is right. Brave, determined, stubborn. He loses his temper quickly. She is carried away by her work and often forgets about her loved ones. She won't go on a date if a protest march is scheduled for the same day. Her goal is always more important than personal experiences. Example: Iskra’s mother from the novel “Tomorrow There Was War” by B. Vasiliev.

Comforter

Can cope with any task. She will console, kiss and give advice. She has nerves of iron, but she cannot stand being alone. She needs to be needed. Feels best in family and among close friends. Easily makes compromises. Often suffers undeservedly. Altruist, idealist and everyday sage. Example: Pelageya Nilovna from the novel “Mother” by M. Gorky.

Pure and mixed archetypes

The archetype can be pure, or it can be mixed, with some kind of dominant. For example, Oksana from N. Gogol’s “The Night Before Christmas” is a boss and a seductress.

It happens that the hero gradually changes his archetype: Natasha Rostova begins as a brave girl, and ends up in the role of a comforter.

Literature: L.Ya. Ginzburg "About a Literary Hero". M., 1979.

With a literary hero, the writer expresses his understanding of a person, taken from a certain point of view in the interaction of features selected by the writer. In this sense, a literary hero models a person. Like any aesthetic phenomenon, a person depicted in literature is not an abstraction, but a concrete unity. But a unity that is not reducible to a particular, isolated case (as a person may be in a chronicle narrative), a unity that has an expanding, symbolic meaning, and is therefore capable of representing an idea. The writer models a certain complex of ideas about man (ethical-philosophical, social, cultural-historical, biological, psychological, linguistic). Literary tradition, inherited narrative forms and the individual intention of the author build an artistic image of a person from this complex.

As in life, when reading a work of art, we instantly attribute an unfamiliar character to one or another social, psychological, everyday category: this is a condition for a person’s communication with the character. There are physical recognition formulas (red-haired, fat, lanky), social formulas (man, merchant, artisan, nobleman), moral and psychological (good-natured, merry fellow, miser).

A completely literary hero is known retrospectively. But character is not only the result: artistic value arises in the process of reading itself (the acuity of the first reading).

The very first meeting should be marked by recognition, a certain instantly emerging concept (typological and psychological identification of the character). The exhibition presents the initial formula of character, which can either be destroyed or, on the contrary, be developed. Hero of the epic, chivalric romance, courtly romance- a hero, a knight, an ideal young nobleman - they all express the norms and ideals of the environment, Byronic hero destroys them.

The Byronic hero is recognizable from the very first pages (Benjamin Constant "Adolph"). For example, the publisher met a man who was very silent and sad. His first phrase: “It makes no difference to me whether I am here or in another place,” speaks of the romantic character of the hero.

Literary hero as a character

Any hero in a literary work is a character, but not every character is recognized as a hero. The word “hero” usually denotes the main character, “the bearer of the main event” (M. Bakhtin) in a literary work, as well as a point of view on reality, on himself and other characters that is significant for the author-creator. That is, this is the other, whose consciousness and action express for the author the essence of the world he creates. Persons of the second plan are perceived as official, necessary not in themselves, but for illumination and understanding of the “persons of the first plan.” The reader can argue with the characters, since in the process of reading there is a feeling of full rights and special independence of the hero (Tatyana, who unexpectedly got married for the author).

How does a hero differ from other characters?

significance for the development of the plot (without his participation, the main plot events cannot take place);

the hero is the subject of statements that dominate the speech structure of the works.

A literary character is a series of successive appearances of one person within a given text. Throughout one text, the hero can appear in a variety of forms: mention of him in the speeches of other characters, the narration of the author or narrator about events related to the character, the depiction of his thoughts, experiences, speeches, appearance, scenes in which he takes part in words, gestures, actions, etc. That is, there is a mechanism for gradually increasing the image of the hero.

Repeating, more or less stable features form the properties of a character.

Copyright Competition -K2
The word "hero" ("heros" - Greek) means a demigod or deified person.
Among the ancient Greeks, heroes were either half-breeds (one of the parents is a god, the other is a human), or outstanding men who became famous for their deeds, for example, military exploits or travel. But, in any case, the title of hero gave a person a lot of advantages. They worshiped him and composed poems and other songs in his honor. Gradually, the concept of “hero” migrated to literature, where it has stuck to this day.
Now, in our understanding, a hero can be either a “noble man” or a “worthless man” if he acts within the framework of a work of art.

The term “hero” is adjacent to the term “character”, and often these terms are perceived as synonyms.
Person in Ancient Rome they called the mask that the actor put on before the performance - tragic or comic.

A hero and a character are not the same thing.

A LITERARY HERO is an exponent of plot action that reveals the content of the work.

A CHARACTER is any character in a work.

The word “character” is characteristic in that it does not carry any additional meanings.
Take, for example, the term “actor.” It is immediately clear that it must act = perform actions, and then a whole bunch of heroes do not fit this definition. Starting from Papa Pippi Longstocking, the mythical sea captain, and ending with the people in “Boris Godunov”, who, as always, are “silent”.
The emotional and evaluative connotation of the term “hero” implies exclusively positive qualities = heroism\heroism. And then it will not fall under this definition yet more people. Well, how about, say, calling Chichikov or Gobsek a hero?
And so literary scholars are fighting with philologists - who should be called a “hero” and who a “character”?
Time will tell who will win. For now we will count in a simple way.

A hero is an important character for expressing the idea of ​​a work. And the characters are everyone else.

A little later we'll talk about the character system in work of art, there will be talk about the main (heroes) and secondary (characters).

Now let's note a couple more definitions.

LYRICAL HERO
The concept of a lyrical hero was first formulated by Yu.N. Tynyanov in 1921 in relation to the work of A.A. Blok.
Lyrical hero - the image of a hero in lyrical work, experiences, feelings, thoughts which reflect the author’s worldview.
The lyrical hero is not an autobiographical image of the author.
You cannot say “lyrical character” - only “lyrical hero”.

THE IMAGE OF A HERO is an artistic generalization of human properties, character traits in the individual appearance of the hero.

LITERARY TYPE is a generalized image human individuality, most characteristic of a certain social environment in certain time. It connects two sides - the individual (single) and the general.
Typical does not mean average. The type concentrates in itself everything that is most striking, characteristic of an entire group of people - social, national, age, etc. For example, the type of Turgenev girl or a lady of Balzac's age.

CHARACTER AND CHARACTER

IN modern literary criticism character is the unique individuality of a character, his inner appearance, that is, what distinguishes him from other people.

Character consists of diverse traits and qualities that are not combined by chance. Every character has a main, dominant trait.

Character can be simple or complex.
A simple character is distinguished by integrity and staticity. The hero is either positive or negative.
Simple characters are traditionally combined into pairs, most often based on the opposition “bad” - “good”. Contrast sharpens the virtues goodies and belittles the merits of negative heroes. Example - Shvabrin and Grinev in “The Captain’s Daughter”
A complex character is the hero’s constant search for himself, the hero’s spiritual evolution, etc.
A complex character is very difficult to label as “positive” or “negative.” It contains inconsistency and paradox. Like Captain Zheglov, who almost sent poor Gruzdev to prison, but easily gave food cards to Sharapov’s neighbor.

STRUCTURE OF A LITERARY CHARACTER

Literary hero– a complex and multifaceted person. It has two appearances - external and internal.

To create appearance heroes work:

PORTRAIT. This face, figure, distinctive features physique (for example, Quasimodo’s hump or Karenin’s ears).

CLOTHING, which can also reflect certain character traits of the hero.

SPEECH, the features of which characterize the hero no less than his appearance.

AGE, which determines the potential possibility of certain actions.

PROFESSION, which shows the degree of socialization of the hero, determines his position in society.

LIFE STORY. Information about the origin of the hero, his parents/relatives, the country and place where he lives, gives the hero sensually tangible realism and historical specificity.

The internal appearance of the hero consists of:

WORLDVIEW AND ETHICAL BELIEF, which provide the hero with value guidelines, give meaning to his existence.

THOUGHTS AND ATTITUDES that outline the diverse life of the hero’s soul.

FAITH (or lack thereof), which determines the presence of the hero in the spiritual field, his attitude towards God and the Church.

STATEMENTS AND ACTIONS, which indicate the results of the interaction of the soul and spirit of the hero.
The hero can not only reason and love, but also be aware of emotions, analyze his own activities, that is, reflect. Artistic reflection allows the author to identify the hero’s personal self-esteem and characterize his attitude towards himself.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

So, a character is a fictional animate person with a certain character and unique external characteristics. The author must come up with this data and convincingly convey it to the reader.
If the author does not do this, the reader perceives the character as cardboard and is not included in his experiences.

Character development is a rather labor-intensive process and requires skill.
The most effective way is to write down on a separate sheet of paper all the personality traits of your character that you want to present to the reader. Straight to point.
The first point is the hero’s appearance (fat, thin, blond, brunette, etc.). The second point is age. The third is education and profession.
Be sure to answer (first of all, to yourself) the following questions:
- how does the character relate to other people? (sociable\closed, sensitive\callous, respectful\rude)
- how does the character feel about his work? (hardworking/lazy, creative/routine, responsible/irresponsible, proactive/passive)
- How does the character feel about himself? (has self-esteem, self-critical, proud, modest, arrogant, vain, arrogant, touchy, shy, selfish)
- how does the character feel about his things? (neat/sloppy, careful with things/careless)
The selection of questions is not random. The answers to them will give a FULL picture of the character's personality.
It is better to write down the answers and keep them before your eyes throughout the entire work on the work.
What will it give? Even if in the work you do not mention ALL QUALITIES of personality (for minor and episodic characters it is not rational to do this), then all the same, the author’s FULL understanding of his characters will be transmitted to the reader and will make their images three-dimensional.

ARTISTIC DETAIL plays a huge role in creating/revealing character images.

An artistic detail is a detail that the author has endowed with significant semantic and emotional load.
A bright detail replaces entire descriptive fragments, cuts off unnecessary details that obscure the essence of the matter.
An expressive, successfully found detail is evidence of the author’s skill.

I would especially like to note such a moment as CHOOSING A CHARACTER NAME.

According to Pavel Florensky, “names are the essence of categories of personal cognition.” Names are not just named, but actually declare the spiritual and physical essence of a person. They form special models of personal existence, which become common to each bearer of a certain name. Names are predetermined spiritual qualities, actions and even the fate of a person.

The existence of a character in a work of fiction begins with the choice of his name. It is very important what you name your hero.
Compare the options for the name Anna - Anna, Anka, Anka, Nyura, Nyurka, Nyusha, Nyushka, Nyusya, Nyuska.
Each of the options crystallizes certain personality qualities and provides the key to character.
Once you have decided on a character name, don’t change it (unnecessarily) as you go along, as this can confuse the reader’s perception.
If in life you are inclined to call your friends and acquaintances diminutively and disparagingly (Svetka, Mashulya, Lenusik, Dimon), in writing work control your passion. In a work of art, the use of such names must be justified. Numerous Vovkas and Tankas look terrible.

CHARACTER SYSTEM

A literary hero is a person who is clearly individual and at the same time clearly collective, that is, he is generated social environment And interpersonal relationships.

It is unlikely that your work will feature only one hero (although this has happened). In most cases, the character is at the intersection of three rays.
The first is friends, associates (friendly relationships).
The second is enemies, ill-wishers (hostile relations).
Third – other strangers (neutral relationships)
These three rays (and the people in them) create a strict hierarchical structure or CHARACTER SYSTEM.
Characters are divided by the degree of author's attention (or the frequency of depiction in the work), the purposes and functions that they perform.

Traditionally, there are main, secondary and episodic characters.

The MAIN CHARACTER(s) are always at the center of the work.
The main character actively masters and transforms artistic reality. His character (see above) predetermines events.

Axiom – main character must be bright, that is, its structure must be spelled out thoroughly, no spaces are allowed.

SECONDARY CHARACTERS are located, although next to the main character, but somewhat behind, in the background, so to speak, of the artistic depiction.
The characters and portraits of minor characters are rarely detailed, more often they appear dotted. These heroes help the main characters to open up and ensure the development of the action.

Axiom – minor character cannot be brighter than the main thing.
Otherwise, he will pull the blanket over himself. An example from a related area. Film "Seventeen Moments of Spring". Remember the girl who pestered Stirlitz in one of the latest episodes? (“They say about us mathematicians that we are terrible crackers.... But in love I am Einstein...”).
In the first edition of the film, the episode with her was much longer. Actress Inna Ulyanova was so good that she stole all the attention and distorted the scene. Let me remind you that there Stirlitz was supposed to receive important encryption from the center. However, no one remembered about the encryption; everyone reveled in the bright clownery of an EPISODIC (completely passable) character. Ulyanov, of course, is sorry, but director Lioznova completely accepted the right decision and cut this scene. An example to think about, though!

EPISODIC HEROES are on the periphery of the world of the work. They may have no character at all, acting as passive executors of the author's will. Their functions are purely official.

POSITIVE and NEGATIVE HEROES usually divide the system of characters in a work into two warring factions (“red” - “white”, “ours” - “fascists”).

The theory of dividing characters according to ARCHETYPES is interesting.

An archetype is a primary idea expressed in symbols and images and underlying everything.
That is, each character in the work should serve as a symbol of something.

According to the classics, there are seven archetypes in literature.
So, the main character could be:
- The protagonist – the one who “accelerates the action”, the real Hero.
- Antagonist – completely the opposite of the Hero. I mean, a Villain.
- Guardian, Sage, Mentor and Helper - those who assist the Protagonist

Minor characters are:
- A bosom friend – symbolizes support and faith in the Main Character.
- Skeptic - questions everything that happens
- Reasonable – makes decisions based solely on logic.
- Emotional – reacts only with emotions.

For example, Rowling’s Harry Potter novels.
The main character is undoubtedly Harry Potter himself. He is opposed by the Villain - Voldemort. Professor Dumbledore=Sage appears periodically.
And Harry's friends are the reasonable Hermione and the emotional Ron.

In conclusion, I would like to talk about the number of characters.
When there are many of them, this is bad, since they will begin to duplicate each other (there are only seven archetypes!). Competition among the characters will cause discoordination in the minds of the readers.
The most reasonable thing is to stupidly check your heroes by archetypes.
For example, in your novel there are three old women. The first is cheerful, the second is smart, and the third is just a lonely grandmother from the first floor. Ask yourself – what do they represent? And you will understand that a lonely old woman is superfluous. Her phrases (if there are any) can easily be conveyed to the second or first (old ladies). This way you will get rid of unnecessary verbal noise and concentrate on the idea.

After all, “The idea is the tyrant of the work” (c) Egri.

© Copyright: Copyright Competition -K2, 2013
Certificate of publication No. 213010300586
reviews