What is characterization?

What is characterization?

• A. Persons in a work of fiction: antagonist and protagonist
• B. Unfair prejudice
• C. Describes events in order
• D. Tells the definition of words

Answer: (A)

Characterization is how an author reveals who the characters are—their personalities, motivations, and how they relate to others—through what they say and do, how others react to them, and sometimes what they think or look like. In fiction, this show is most clearly seen through the people the story centers on—the protagonist and the antagonist—whose traits the author develops for the reader. This makes the idea of characterization fit best, since it focuses on presenting and shaping the characters themselves. The other options describe different ideas: bias, the sequence of events, and dictionary definitions, which are not about how characters are shown.

Characterization is how an author reveals who the characters are—their personalities, motivations, and how they relate to others—through what they say and do, how others react to them, and sometimes what they think or look like. In fiction, this show is most clearly seen through the people the story centers on—the protagonist and the antagonist—whose traits the author develops for the reader. This makes the idea of characterization fit best, since it focuses on presenting and shaping the characters themselves. The other options describe different ideas: bias, the sequence of events, and dictionary definitions, which are not about how characters are shown.