Narrative technique and character characterization – basic principles
How it works
Narrative technique describes how a story conveys information. In class, narrative form and narrative situation are often distinguished: a first-person narrator reports with ‹ich› from their own perspective; a third-person limited narrator is bound to the perception of a character; an omniscient narrator can have an overview, comment, or foreshadow. Narrative technique also includes the handling of time, for example flashback and foreshadowing, as well as the portrayal of characters. In character characterization, the characteristics, behavior, relationships, and development of literary characters are described and interpreted. It is direct characterization in statements such as ‹Er war geduldig.› It is indirect when characteristics are inferred from behavior, thoughts, appearance, or statements by others, for example in ‹Er wartete ruhig, obwohl alle anderen drängelten.›
First, check who is telling the story and how much the narrator knows. Then distinguish in the case of characters: in ‹Sie ist hilfsbereit.› a trait is named directly; in ‹Sie hob dem Kind die gefallenen Hefte auf.› it is shown indirectly.
An example
What kind of characterization is present in ‹Tom schlug die Tür zu und antwortete kein Wort.›?
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50 Exercises
To the learning unit →Own explanation and own practice exercises by AmyMath. Subject reference framework: German. The topic assignment may vary by federal state.