Okuzeka
Literature vocabulary · Character and Characterization

Flat character

Meaning in literature, with examples

nounCommon term

In literature, flat character means: A simple character built around one main quality or idea, who can be summed up in a sentence and does not change or surprise the reader.

In Turkish: düz karakter, yassı karakter, tek boyutlu karakter

How it is used

Forster's term, paired with round character. Flat characters are not always a weakness: they are useful in comedy, satire and minor roles. Forster himself used Mrs Micawber from Dickens's David Copperfield as an example.

Example sentences

  1. The greedy landlord is a flat character, but he is very funny.

  2. Critics complained that the female characters were flat and lifeless.

Common collocations

  • a flat character
  • flat and one-dimensional
  • round and flat characters
  • round characterA complex, many-sided character with mixed qualities and believable motives, who can surprise the reader in a convincing way.
  • characterizationThe ways a writer creates and reveals a character's personality, through description, actions, speech, thoughts and other characters' reactions.
  • characterA person, or sometimes an animal or creature, who takes part in the events of a story, play or poem.
  • satireWriting that uses humor, irony and exaggeration to criticize or mock the foolishness or wrongdoing of people, institutions or society.

More terms: Character and Characterization

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