The best inside information and resources for writers of any genre and readers of young adult fiction, including secrets from popular authors, tips, howto advice, and indepth articles, plus giveaways, contests, literary agent and editor insight and much more. If you receive critiques telling you that your character is flat. If you love to read literature, especially fiction stories and novels of if you are an aspiring fiction writer, you would be knowing about some basic character types, i. Roleplay gaming and fantasy novels have gone handinhand for most of their existence, but its a. Even when conjured characters inhabit a recognizable world and speak to the human condition, fictional stories can pull readers out of their own heads.
Heroic fantasy owes a great deal to the ancient myths, legends, and traditional folktales, from which are derived themes, plot structures, even characters and settings. Stories in this genre include such elements as talking animals, imaginary worlds, fanciful charachers, and magical beings. Fantasy is such an established genre, and one of the most popular on goodreads, so older books have a distinct advantage over newer books. The four types of characters refer to the way a character changes throughout a story. Anthony ryan on naming fantasy charactersand making sure. Finding a succinct list of the most notable ones particularly a list with definitions and examples is not always straightforward. This category has the following 47 subcategories, out of 47 total. Does anyone know of any books that revolve around spying or secret agents within the fantasy genre. Protagonists, antagonists, sidekicks, mentors and love interests may seem like stock characters of fantasy fiction, but they are also the blueprints.
However, these tales were original and written by known authors. Stock stock characters are those types of characters who have become conventional or stereotypical through repeated use in particular types of stories. Fantasy often tells the story of events on a grand scale, and having characters. Note that the harry potter series also qualifies as fantasy fiction, even though the books take. Lewis, 1950, the book of three lloyd alexander, 1964, the hero and the crown robin mckinley, 1985. But the more youre aware of the different character types, the more you can make a better informed decision about which character. Characters those appear in this kind of fiction are fantasy characters. Fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, andor setting. Everything you need to know about writing fantasy weapons. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama. Knowing what role your characters play in your story helps you to refine your plot, choose your. This category is for fictional characters in written fantasy. Tolkien, 1937, the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe c. As with any novel, its often the characters in fantasy fiction that truly get.
Not every story will include every type of character. Modern fantasy usually stars a likable protagonist and their struggle between good and evil or right and wrong. The sword of truth series is 14 books, all of which are designed to be standalone stories, totally independent from the. Fantastical settings, creatures, powers, and situations are often found in fantasy fiction, whether it is a modern story or one set in an ancient land. You can then use this awareness to study that character and see what elements you can use in your own writing. This effect is even more pronounced in the fantasy genre. Walk into any book store, and you will find shelves and shelves of fantasy books.
Modern folktales are types of fantasy that narrators tell in a traditional tale accompanying some typical elements, such as strong conflict, little description of characters, fastmoving plot with a quick resolution, and sometimes magical elements and vague settings. I only included one book per series usually the first book because i know my fantasy readers and i know how hard it is for us to read out of order, and i picked only. I have noticed a distressing trend that characters in ya novels or movies must either be homosexuallesbian, bisexual, have tourettes syndrome or autism, be an ethnic minority, or have some truly godawful psychological problem, such as being bi. For many readers, literary fiction provides desperately needed escapism so they can endure the difficulties of everyday life. Some of the most famous examples of fantasy fiction are the chronicles of narnia, the lord of the rings, his dark materials which begins with the golden compass, and the wizard of earthsea collections. The fantasy genre is rich with a myriad of subgenres, and each has its own conventions and trends. The characters in fantasy writing give the reader someone to root for.
Over the years fantasy books have featured many a surrogate gandalf, frodo or aragorn, sometimes to good effect, sometimes not. It doesnt matter if theyre a minor character, a main character, or secondary. What are some unrepresented character typesplotlinesoccupations. The types of characters encountered in fiction writing. But there are some types of characters that every story must have. There is no fantasy story without a hero and a quest that needs undertaking. With the different terms floating around out there it can be easy to confuse or overlook key subgenres. Cvs top 100 science fiction and fantasy characters list.
Whatever your story, it must resonate with some kind of magic to fit into the category of. Fantasy fiction is a literary genre that includes stories that deal with characters or events that do not exist in the world as we know it. Award winning childrens fantasy books awards are a sure fire way to find the best books in childrens fantasy. All you have to do is scour the page of 300 unique, original fantasy names and keep this list a reference while you write that fandomworthy novel of yours. As a writer or reader of fiction, youll encounter many types of characters. A class is one of the most important choices a player can make, although many game systems allow. Do you know how many characters types are there in literature. Stories with just one protagonist and point of view dont need a deutarogonist. We will discuss the different genres of books under fiction and nonfiction categories. Often, writers of fantasy fiction devote a series of books to the same world or characters.
Apart from the basic types, there are confidante character, foil character, round character, stock character, and a villain. He also manages several blogs, including the writers handbook blog. That being said, these characters pop up so often i am beginning to think there is some english lit 101 class ive missed out on that all fantasyscifi writers attend and learn how to write these people. The oldest type of game system was mostly used in speculative fiction medieval european fantasy settings that were heavily based on the works of jrr tolkien, jack vance, and the 1930s conan the barbarian pulps. The types of firearm we see in fiction tend to be mapped pretty directly to melee weapons a shotgun, for example, tends to be written with the same personality as an axe this may be useful information when deciding on the fantasy variants you want to include in your story. Fantasy fiction is full of compelling characterssome of whom wed love. There are four types of characters in fiction as the question states. The chosen one a main character who is prophesied or destined to fulfil some great purpose. Untethered from scientific and societal laws, and limited. From round characters and flat characters to stock characters and protagonists, all characters have their place. Strong characters are important to fantasy fiction for many reasons. Less a fantasy series and more a complex dedication to worldbuilding. Most chapter books belong to a literary genre called fiction, but we sometimes split those into more specific book genres, like fantasy fiction.
The heroes of fantasy learn about some of the top heroes in fantasy also find one by theme such as assassin, wizard, antihero or orphan turned hero. Once youre aware of character type, youll find yourself noticing it more and more in what you read and watch. From the twentieth century it has expanded further into various media, including film, television, graphic novels, manga and video games. However, these tales are popular, as authors throughout history have written them. The above types of books can be further divided into many subcategories and each of these subcategories is a genre. Most stories outside of fantasy and scifi dont have mentors, for example. Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction set in a fictional universe, often inspired by real world myth and folklore. Martins arya stark, to locke lamora of scott lynchs gentleman bastards.
Modern fantasy is distinguished from other genres by story elements that viloate the natural, physical laws of our world. What types of characters do we need more of in ya novels. And to me, a heavy dose of any of these three types of characters often ruins an otherwise perfectly good book. The hero is the single most important character in any fantasy storythey must undertake the quest and defeat the villain. As a writer, you may want to avoid or handle some of these character types delicately. Take a look at the results from a recent poll about the top fantasy characters of all time. Theres a wide range of different types of characters here, from death in terry pratchetts discworld series, to george r. But at the end of the day, most fantasy and scifi books are really. Protagonists, antagonists, sidekicks, mentors and love interests may seem like stock characters of fantasy fiction, but they are also the blueprints for welldeveloped, complex characters that readers will fall in love with and follow throughout quests, battles and potentially worlddestroying conflicts. This list covers nine of the most common types of fantasy characters. There are many different kinds of fantasy including animal fantasy, science fiction, high fantasy, preposterous situations, imaginary worlds, unusual characters and time travel. While its important for your characters to be individuals, if your character is reminiscent of others in the same genre it may not be a bad thing, just as long as theyre not a carbon copy.
When we talk about stereotypical characters in fantasy, were referring to archetypes of the genre that is, predictable, recurrent character types and traits. The protagonist is likely a pretty familiar concept for most of us. Characters in fantasy novels have progressed since the days of frank baum and lewis carroll. Finding these kinds of characters in multiple fantasy books is like seeing the exact same cast of characters playing the same roles in. I dont see as colorful an array of painstakingly produced personages in other forms of literature that i see in fantasy fiction. Stock characters are instantly recognizable to readers or audience members e. Fantasy is generally distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three, all of which are subgenres of speculative fiction.
Modern fantasy on the shelvesbooks for children by. There are a lot of types, but here are the 9 types of characters in fiction. There are more types than these basic ones and they have their unique characteristics. In many fantasy series and graphic novels, these character types are. Here are the most common types of characters found in fantasy writing. The wise old mentor often a wizard who trains and encourages the hero.
He is series editor of the new writers handbook, an awardwinning annual anthology on literary craft and career development, and is author of several books himself, including a guide to fantasy literature 2009. Thats how it was compiled and how the order of books is determined and updated. Fantasy character classes all the tropes wiki fandom. Dungeons and dragons, easily the most successful early rpg, is the trope codifier. Many of the books written involve generic characters, as described earlier, but others include multifaceted and complex individuals. Here are a few examples of stereotypical character types that have been overdone in fantasy.
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