Characterization

Characterization is a central preoccupation of feminist and social criticism of cultural works.

Characterization consists of (a) the initial set of attributes given to the character, including the character's personality, moral character, habits, life history, etc.; and (b) the character's arc, including the events that befall the character, the character's actions, and changes in the character's personality, outlook, etc., over the course of the work.

Because fictional characters are defined and created by people who live in societies built around various forms of oppression, prejudices, and beliefs about the world, each of which entail their own ideologies, characterization both defines and demonstrates the creators' ability to avoid sexist, racist, and other social prejudices conveyed in those ideologies. In other words, does the creator successfully create people, real, believable people (of whatever species or kind); or does the creator only rely on stereotypes, archetypes, and other characterization shortcuts? Most creators and creations will fall somewhere in between. (See also audience theory for information about how the audience's reception of a work can shape the work; audiences can also feedback to the creators, shaping the production of serial works and sequelae, as well as its reception.)

To some extent, characterization from the creator's sense can be broken down into (a) what happened to the character before the work: the initial character, her backstory, personality, identity, etc.; and (b) what happens to the character during the work: her character arc, relationships developed, identities evolved, etc. A third axis might represent the audience response to the character; this can feed directly into development of the character, and can even affect the character's backstory through retconning, fanfiction, etc.

Aspects of characterization

• Identities: Gender, sex, ethnicity, and sexuality are always signficant identities for characters, whether they are marked as such or assumed as "defaults". Their significance is drawn from their significance to the audience in the real world. In creating a fictional world in which one or more of these identities are not significant to the members of the fictional world, the writer must find some way of translating: making it clear to actual readers that the fictional identities are not significant to those characters, but recognizing that in the absence of a marker, the reader will make certain default assumptions about those characters' identities.

In addition to gender, sex, ethnicity, and sexuality, numerous other identities may be significant to characters — from identities that are significant in real life (age, nationality, social class), to identities that are significant in fictional universes (e.g., sleeps on stomach versus sleeps on back; to identities that have significance in the fictional universe but are used as metaphors for identity issues in the creator's time and society. For the latter, see, e.g., mutant identity as a signifier for race and ethnicity in The X-Men comic series, and later as a signifier for gay identity in The X-Men movies; see numerous examples on Star Trek; see vampires and werewolves which are often used as signifiers for various identities.

The interplay of a given characterization with the various stereotypes -- oftentimes conflicting stereotypes -- assigned to a particular identity category are inescapable for a creator, who must balance creating an authentic real character, with the creator's knowledge of how the audience will receive particular characterization choices.

See

• Encyclopedia of female characters
• Index to female characters by identity
• Index to women of color in SF (includes characters and real people)
• Index to queer women in SF (includes characters and real people)
• Category:Works by type of character
• Category:Gender identity themes.

• Personal history and life stage: The personal history and life story of a character are a significant aspect of characterization. This includes how long the character has lived, what they have been doing with their life, etc. Consider the narrative differences between children, adolescents, young adults, middle-aged people, and elderly people; their relative levels of knowledge and life experience; their perspectives; how much personal history they have had, and how significant specific parts of that personal history might be.

• Occupation, skill, ability, power: Occupations are often restricted on the basis of gender and class, and on other socially important identities; for example, race and ethnicity in 19th and 20th century US. Thus, "casting" a character in a particular occupation, or giving her a particular skill, ability, or power that affects her choice of occupations, is a significant aspect of characterization that relates to identity categories.

• Relationships: A character's relationship with other characters help define the character. A character who is, for instance, the only female in a cast of men may be a token, an "exceptional woman", male-identified, fighting sexism by entering into a historically (in that fictional world) male-dominated field; etc. See also "The Rule". See Category:Sexuality themes

• Society and fictional universe: The society into which a character is placed shapes the character, both within the fictional universe, and as an authorial decision. An author may choose to create a patriarchal society in order to critique patriarchy; in order to explore how people live in patriarchy; in order to support patriarchy; without thought for its political implications but because it seems "exotic" or fraught with dramatic tension; or unquestioningly as a default. Similarly, a fictional universe in which deities are real, or prophecies come true, affects the character.

• Psychosocial realism: If one goal of the writing is to create believable, identifiable characters, then psychosocial realism is a key to consistent, believable characterization. This requires that the character notice and react to her society in realistic ways. If she has been raised in a sexist society, then she will notice things differently than if she has been raised in a nonsexist society. Some things will be marked when events or settings shift and transition, and other things won't be marked. What is marked for the character may be different from what is marked for the reader, and this requires the writer to translate for the reader.

• Plot and character arc: The change and evolution of a character during the course of a work, as a result of the actions that changes that happen to the character or around the character, are a significant shaper of characterization for the audience. See character assassination.

• Mode and genre: The mode and genre of a work undeniably lend shape and tone to a characterization. A tragic hero in a tragedy is going to be somewhat different than a tragic hero in a comedy; different aspects of the character will be played up or featured; the dialog and so on will be different; the eventual resolution of the character's arc may be predetermined.

Notes

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