Чет тиллар факультети инглиз тили ўҚитиш методикаси кафедраси

Evaluating Character
Having identified, on the basis of the evidence presented by the author, the essential nature and personality of the characters in the work, we must also be prepared to evaluate how successful the author has been in their creation. Although it is unreasonable to expect that the characters of fiction will necessarily be close approximations of the kind of people that we know – for part of the joy of fiction is having the opportunity to meet new people – we can expect the author’s creations to be convincing and credible on their own terms. If they are not, such characters can be counted as relative failures, for our interest in them will surely flag.
What we chiefly require in the behavior of fictional characters, however, is consistency. Characterization implies a kind of unspoken contract between author and reader; and the reader has the right to expect that a character, once established, will not then behave in ways contrary to his or her nature. The principle of consistency my no means implies that characters in fiction cannot undergo development and change, for, as we have noted, the plots of many works are organized precisely upon just such a possibility. Rather, when a character undergoes change, such change should be well motivated by events. Thus, in seeking to test for consistency, we most frequently ask ourselves whether the motive for a particular action or series of actions is adequate, justified, and probable, given what we know about that character. If the question can be answered in the affirmative, even in the context of behaviour that at first glance seems puzzling or confusing, the principle of consistency has not been violated.
Analyzing Character

1. 
   Who is the protagonist of the work and who (or what) is the antagonist? Describe the major traits and qualities of each.
   
2. 
   What is the function of the minor characters?
   
3. 
   Identify the characters in terms of whether they are flat or round, dynamic or static.
   
4. 
   What methods does the author employ to establish and reveal the character? Is the method of characterization direct or indirect?
   
5. 
   Are the actions of the characters properly motivated and consistent?
   
6. 
   Are the characters of the work finally credible and interesting?
   

SETTING
Fiction can be defined as character in action at a certain time and place. Now we turn our attention to setting, a term that, in its broadest sense, encompasses both the physical locale that frames the action and the time of day or year, the climatic conditions and the historical period during which the action takes place. At its most basic, setting helps the reader visualize the action of the work, and thus adds credibility and a n air of authenticity to the characters.
There are, however, many different kinds of setting in fiction and they function in a variety of ways. Some settings are relatively unimportant. They serve as little more than incidental and decorative backdrops. Some settings, on the other hand, are intimately and necessarily connected with the meaning and unity of the whole work. The most important fictional settings are those that are “dramatic”, those that are organic and essential parts of the work as a whole.
In order to understand the purpose and function of setting, the reader must pay particular attention to the descriptive passages in which the details of setting are introduced. Generally speaking, unless such passages are intended merely as local colour, the greater the attention given to them, the greater is their importance in the total work. In most short stories and in many novels setting is established at or near the beginning of the work as a means of orienting the reader and framing the action that is to follow.
The quality of the language by which the author projects the setting provides another clue as to his or her intention. When that intention is to invest the setting with a photographic vividness that appeals essentially to the reader’s eye, the details of the setting will be rendered through language the language that is concrete and denotative. The author will pile specific detail on top of specific detail in an attempt to provide the illusion of stable external reality. On the other hand, the author may want us to “feel” rather than simply “see” the setting, as is the case when setting is to be used as a means of creating atmosphere. In that case the appeal will be to the reader’s imagination and emotions through language that is connotative, emotionally heightened, and suggestive. The author will, that is, manipulate the poetic qualities of language to elicit from the reader the desired and appropriate response. Often the author will want the reader to both see and feel the setting and will use the resources of language to bring about both effects simultaneously.