8/25/2023 0 Comments What is a flat character![]() It’s a flat character we’re simply saying this is not a complicated character with motivations beyond what is on the surface. I think that you should not assume that if somebody says a character is flat, that they are dull, or poorly written. If your tale is instructive-that’s most Victorian short stories and things like that-but we’re not really talking about that today so much. Wes: But! I think it’s important to note that in some stories you can have the protagonist be a flat character too. And if we’re talking flat, they’re going to be minor characters, side characters, one or small multi-off characters, like “My cabbages!” guy. Sometimes their mood changes, but if they’re still closely following the very same theme, and we never see their other side… which, normal people behave in different ways in different situations, and take on different roles depending on who they’re interacting with, et cetera, et cetera. Usually, in most cases, they embody the same mood, like their mood doesn’t even change. And they get booted from Flatland.Ĭhris: I think that with the wording “one dimensional,” right-which is a synonym for a flat character-one of the key things is that you never see another side to that character. The key thing about a flat character is that how they’re defined kind of like… sets a formula, -ish, for them? And they shouldn’t break or transcend that. Wes: I think the important thing is that if you can describe them… It depends on the implementation. ![]() I suppose it would depend on the implementation though. A flat character, ideally, can be easily and accurately described by single words, like “scholar,” or a short sentence, like “a brave and idealistic Hobbit with a fragile heart of gold.” Any rule obviously has wiggle room and stuff, but…Ĭhris: Honestly, that one line description sounds a little too complex. You’ve probably heard this term before, but generally a character is said to be “flat” if the character is, say… one-dimensional, which kind of means lacking in complexity. We’re not going to hang out in that Flatland, but we ARE going to talk about flat characters today. Wes: So anyway, steering the conversation back. Only ever write about one thing, is what I think we’re going for here. So yeah, it becomes a problem when the satirist includes their views on ANYTHING ELSE that are just… way less progressive than whatever it is they’re deliberately targeting. And… spoiler alert… the rich didn’t become oppressed in the last two hundred years. Oren: Plus, Jonathan Swift was clever, and only put in his thing about classism, right? So like in his book, his thing is targeted at the rich. Because everybody can agree that somebody talking about eating babies is definitely satire. Wes: The only satire from, like… decades, or hundreds of years ago, that stood the test of time is Jonathan Swift. You’re saying that that’s what reality is. ![]() And, you know… if you build a world where all the women in the world are like… inherently inferior because they are lines, and therefore only have two sides…Ĭhris: …Unlike the perfect circle, with an infinite number of sides… That doesn’t read as satire, because it’s built into the world. Perhaps it was intended to be a satire, but it certainly doesn’t read that way today. Wes: I know! It’s like… it sounds so fun, and then you read about that book and you’re like, oh no…Ĭhris: I think we’ve discussed Flatland before. What about you, Chris? How are you journeying into Flatland?Ĭhris: I do not want to go to Flatland. Wes: I know exactly what I can expect from you. Oren: I might be! The two-dimensional circle with an infinitely thin edge. Why be round, and complex, and three dimensional, when you can be flat? Flat is fun. I’m about to take you on a journey to Flatland, where all are one- and two-dimensional, and we don’t have to worry about anything rounded. Wes: And for today, you can call me Square. I’m your host, Wes, and with me today is… Wes: Hello, you’re listening to the Mythcreants podcast.
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