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Realism and Realistic Characters
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From: Megan Schliesman <schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu>
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 10:19:39 -0500
Meg Medina wrote about realism :
"It also means books without caricature, e.g. 100 per cent mean-kids or dumb adults, for example. Theirs is a world populated by complex people and issues that call forth the best and worst in all of them."
I think this is one of the greatest challenges for authors of any genre, but in realism the failure to create characters with all the complexities of being human may stand out in greater relief. I'm always frustrated when I'm reading a book that suceeds at drawing a primary character with fine lines and shading, but falls short in its representation of one or more secondary characters. But that's my bias as a reader who is always drawn first and foremost to character. I'm never interested in reading fictional books about "issues," I'm interested in reading books about individual lives, and through those lives I may see challenges and wonders and other realities of our world illuminated.
On the other hand, I always find it fascinating to discuss the behavior of characters when I think is it is unrealistic, because I often find
(to my dismay!) that not everyone agrees with me.
Additionally, as Hannah Gómez noted, the range of what we might call
"realism" is broad. She writes, " 'realism' as a genre, of course, incorporates light romance that may not be 'realistic' as in 'true to life' but is just 'realistic' in the sense that it takes place in a real town in a real state, has no magic, and involves going to school, having goofy parents, and taking math tests just as much as it includes a serious story about juvie, and everything in between."
As a reader I inevitably come to lighter offerings with lower expectations regarding the level of complexity I may find in how characters are portrayed, but I still am stopped short when there is nothing but a figure in bold outline.
Megan
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 10:19:39 -0500
Meg Medina wrote about realism :
"It also means books without caricature, e.g. 100 per cent mean-kids or dumb adults, for example. Theirs is a world populated by complex people and issues that call forth the best and worst in all of them."
I think this is one of the greatest challenges for authors of any genre, but in realism the failure to create characters with all the complexities of being human may stand out in greater relief. I'm always frustrated when I'm reading a book that suceeds at drawing a primary character with fine lines and shading, but falls short in its representation of one or more secondary characters. But that's my bias as a reader who is always drawn first and foremost to character. I'm never interested in reading fictional books about "issues," I'm interested in reading books about individual lives, and through those lives I may see challenges and wonders and other realities of our world illuminated.
On the other hand, I always find it fascinating to discuss the behavior of characters when I think is it is unrealistic, because I often find
(to my dismay!) that not everyone agrees with me.
Additionally, as Hannah Gómez noted, the range of what we might call
"realism" is broad. She writes, " 'realism' as a genre, of course, incorporates light romance that may not be 'realistic' as in 'true to life' but is just 'realistic' in the sense that it takes place in a real town in a real state, has no magic, and involves going to school, having goofy parents, and taking math tests just as much as it includes a serious story about juvie, and everything in between."
As a reader I inevitably come to lighter offerings with lower expectations regarding the level of complexity I may find in how characters are portrayed, but I still am stopped short when there is nothing but a figure in bold outline.
Megan
--
Megan Schliesman, Librarian
Cooperative Children's Book Center
School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Through July 31:
600 N. Park Street, Room 4290
Madison, WI 53706
Beginning August 1:
Room 401 Teacher Education
225 N. Mills Street
Madison, WI 53706
608/262-9503
schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu
ccbc.education.wisc.edu
My regular hours are T-F, 8-4:30.
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Received on Thu 17 Jul 2014 10:20:16 AM CDT
