上海交通大学：《20世纪英美短篇小说选读》教学资源_character（3）

【2.3】 Indirect Characterization:Showing By contrast,there are essentially two methods of indirect characterization by showing: characterization through dialogue (what characters say)and characterization through action (what characters do).Unlike the direct characterization by telling already discussed,showing involves the gradual rather than the immediate revelation of character.Such a process requires rather than excludes the active participation of the reader by calling upon both the intelligence and the memory. Characterization through dialogue The task of establishing character through dialogue is not a simple one.Some characters are careful and guarded in what they say:they speak only by indirection,and we must infer from their words what they actually mean.Others are open and candid:they tell us,or appear to tell us,exactly what is on their minds.Some characters are given to chronic exaggeration and overstatements;others to understatement and subtlety. It is a rare work of fiction whose author does not employ dialogue in some way to reveal,establish,and reinforce character.For this reason the reader must be prepared to analyze dialogue in a number of different ways:for(1)the identity of the speaker, (2)the occasion,(3)what is being said,(4)the identity of the person or persons the speaker is addressing,(5)the quality or character of the exchange,and (6)the speaker's tone of voice,stress,dialect,and vocabulary. In evaluating what a given character says about himself and others,one always faces (in the absence of clarifying comments by the author)the problem of the character's reliability and trustworthiness.Both deliberate deception and unconscious self-deception always lurk as distinct possibilities in fictional characters,as in real people.Although determining the reliability and veracity of characters can be difficult, most authors provide clues.When one character is contradicted in whole or part by another,the accumulated evidence on both sides must be carefully weighed and examined.One can also test reliability by looking at the character's subsequent conduct and behavior to see if what he does somehow contradicts what he says

【2.3】 Indirect Characterization: Showing By contrast, there are essentially two methods of indirect characterization by showing: characterization through dialogue (what characters say) and characterization through action (what characters do). Unlike the direct characterization by telling already discussed, showing involves the gradual rather than the immediate revelation of character. Such a process requires rather than excludes the active participation of the reader by calling upon both the intelligence and the memory. Characterization through dialogue The task of establishing character through dialogue is not a simple one. Some characters are careful and guarded in what they say: they speak only by indirection, and we must infer from their words what they actually mean. Others are open and candid: they tell us, or appear to tell us, exactly what is on their minds. Some characters are given to chronic exaggeration and overstatements; others to understatement and subtlety. It is a rare work of fiction whose author does not employ dialogue in some way to reveal, establish, and reinforce character. For this reason the reader must be prepared to analyze dialogue in a number of different ways: for (1) the identity of the speaker, (2) the occasion, (3) what is being said, (4) the identity of the person or persons the speaker is addressing, (5) the quality or character of the exchange, and (6) the speaker’s tone of voice, stress, dialect, and vocabulary. In evaluating what a given character says about himself and others, one always faces (in the absence of clarifying comments by the author) the problem of the character’s reliability and trustworthiness. Both deliberate deception and unconscious self-deception always lurk as distinct possibilities in fictional characters, as in real people. Although determining the reliability and veracity of characters can be difficult, most authors provide clues. When one character is contradicted in whole or part by another, the accumulated evidence on both sides must be carefully weighed and examined. One can also test reliability by looking at the character’s subsequent conduct and behavior to see if what he does somehow contradicts what he says

Finally,there is always the appeal to the subsequent events of the plot itself to see whether those events tend to support or contradict the character's statements. Characterization through action The idea that one's behavior is a logical and even necessary extension of one's psychology and personality is widely shared.What a given character is is revealed by what that character does.In brief,the single most important and definitive method of revealing character is through action. To establish character on the basis of action,it is necessary to scrutinize the several events of the plot for what they seem to reveal about the characters,about their unconscious emotional and psychological states,as well as about their conscious attitudes and values.Some actions,of course,are inherently more meaningful in this respect than others.A gesture or facial expression usually carries with it less significance than some larger and overt act.But this is not always the case.Very often it is the small and involuntary action,by virtue of its spontaneous and unconscious quality,that tells us more about a character's inner life than a larger,premeditated act reflecting decision and choice.In either case,whether the action is large or small, conscious or unconscious,it is necessary to identify the common pattern of behavior of which each separate action is a part.One helpful way of doing so is on the basis of motive,the attempt to trace certain effects back to their underlying causes.If we are successful in dong so,if a consistent pattern of motivation appears,then it is fairly safe to assume that we have made some important discoveries about the character

Finally, there is always the appeal to the subsequent events of the plot itself to see whether those events tend to support or contradict the character’s statements. Characterization through action The idea that one’s behavior is a logical and even necessary extension of one’s psychology and personality is widely shared. What a given character is is revealed by what that character does. In brief, the single most important and definitive method of revealing character is through action. To establish character on the basis of action, it is necessary to scrutinize the several events of the plot for what they seem to reveal about the characters, about their unconscious emotional and psychological states, as well as about their conscious attitudes and values. Some actions, of course, are inherently more meaningful in this respect than others. A gesture or facial expression usually carries with it less significance than some larger and overt act. But this is not always the case. Very often it is the small and involuntary action, by virtue of its spontaneous and unconscious quality, that tells us more about a character’s inner life than a larger, premeditated act reflecting decision and choice. In either case, whether the action is large or small, conscious or unconscious, it is necessary to identify the common pattern of behavior of which each separate action is a part. One helpful way of doing so is on the basis of motive, the attempt to trace certain effects back to their underlying causes. If we are successful in dong so, if a consistent pattern of motivation appears, then it is fairly safe to assume that we have made some important discoveries about the character