But what about characters? Saying they are multi-dimensional or “round" is a compliment frequently paid to characters, but there is often some confusion to what the term “round” really means. He is eventually bequeathed with a compelling backstory, demonstrates a complexity of motivations, and we care about him and his relationship to Harry and the fate of Hogwarts.We don’t live in two dimensions. Professor Snape starts out as a flat “villain,” but over the course of the series surprises us so many times that by story’s end, he has become both round and dynamic. Let’s look at a stereotypically “evil” character from Harry Potter who actually surprises us by evolving from flat to round over the course of the narrative. In fact, this surprise reveals them to actually be a round character after all. But sometimes, a flat character can undergo some kind of change that switches them to dynamic.
The vast majority of the time, flat characters are also static. FLAT AND ROUND CHARACTERS CAN CHANGE Exceptions to the rule This lack of transformation can actually be part of what makes them so relatable.
When a round character is static, they maintain a fixed personality and do not undergo any real transformation over the course of a story. And through a transformative visit with a ghost, his cold heart becomes kinder and more sympathetic to his fellow man. He starts out layered, with a past that has shaped him to be the miser he is in the present day. Both flat and round characters can change, therefore, they can both be dynamic.įor example, Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is the ultimate dynamic, round character. Their defining characteristic is not how interesting they are or how much depth they reveal. Dynamic characters always undergo some kind of transformation over the course of a story. Likewise, there is a difference between round characters and dynamic characters.ĭynamic characters are what we usually think of when we think of “round” characters. But there is a difference between flat characters and static characters. round characters, “round” is confused to mean dynamic, and “flat” is confused with static. Static Character Dynamic and static characters Let's quickly look at those distinctions next. round characters, any given character type is also either static or dynamic.
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