ENG110Y5 Study Guide - Narratology, Narrativity, Agon
Document Summary
Character is one of the most common rhetorical effects of narrative. When we come across a sequence of events related in a narrative order, our natural inclination is to read some causal connection between them (one event to another event in a narrative order becomes cause and effect). Causal narratives are the most powerful and lasting of narratives because they satisfy our need or desire for causation. A fallacy projected by the narrative is that characters are real, however unbelievable or extraordinary they appear. This is an effect of causation, the need to explain the motivations and actions of characters as if they were fully formed psychological entities. As a result, filling in the character gaps poses one of the greatest challenges to interpretation. Characters can also therefore be characterized according to their depth: flat characters lack depth and follow predictable behaviors; round characters are more complex and require greater explanation.
