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Characterisation and narrative voice – WJECWhat is characterisation?

Characters in texts are developed through what they say and do, and the language used to describe them. Voice means the tone of a narrative.

Part of English LanguageAnalysing fiction

What is characterisation?

Characterisation is the way authors create characters and make them believable. When writing about texts, it is easy to treat characters as real people. Try to remember that the author is creating characters using language.

Think about the set of characters in a text:

  • What are the characters like?
  • How you know this?
  • What do the characters say ()?
  • How are they described?
  • How are they seen by other characters?
  • What happens to them at the end of their story?
Wedding scene in winter featuring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle as Mr and Mrs Darcy from ý Adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (1995).
Image caption,
Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet fom Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice are widely recognised fictional characters