definition of flat character literary devices

You really just don't want your main character(s) to be flat, otherwise your audience will lose interest in them. Flat characters can fulfill a number of roles: they populate the environs of the protagonist’s journey, and can move the story along in a plot-driven book. But does their flatness make them inherently uninteresting or irrelevant to the story? Not necessarily. Are Miss Havisham, Mrs Micawber, and Mr Jaggers flat characters? Absolutely - they have few complex characteristics and exist mostly to interact with the main character of their respective stories. And the occasional flat character can even benefit your narrative! Charles Dickens, for instance, was a genius at writing casts that were packed with memorable caricatures.

Are flat characters bad?Īgain, having two-dimensional characters never spells automatic death for your book. To learn more about the flip side of the equation, we wrote extensively about what makes a dynamic character here. That means that, generally speaking, all two-dimensional characters are static, but not all static characters are two-dimensional. “Flat” is a referendum on the character's complexity. “Static” (or its inverse, “dynamic”) strictly describes the amount of change that a character undergoes throughout the story. Experience mental and emotional changesįlat characters are also sometimes referred to as “one-dimensional” or “two-dimensional.' Both of these monikers point to the same thing: a character who has very minimal complexity, and often renders the story less believable as a result.Ĭlick to tweet! Not all static characters are flatĭon't make the mistake of conflating a flat character with a static character.Undergo significant character development.Whereas a three-dimensional or round character will typically:

In other words, they're the opposite of a ' round character,' who has a fully fleshed out profile and changes throughout the story. They also don't undergo any kind of change to make them more well-rounded. What is a flat character?Ī flat character is a character with little to no complex emotions, motivations, or personality. especially if you're not exactly sure what constitutes one. Sometimes the hardest part is simply identifying when you do have a flat character on your hands.

Definition of flat character literary devices