How to Analyse Stories: With Philip Chase Ep.04 Characters

[@NevsBookChannel]

These videos are so good! Thanks for making them

[@ACriticalDragon]

I am glad that you are enjoying them, I hope they are useful. Thanks for watching.

[@thedrownedkingdomsaga7847]

A fascinating chat about THE single most important aspects (for me) about any book, characters & characterization. While I concur characters don't truly have agency, that's certainly not how it feels sometimes for authors when we write them, lol! Loving this series about story analysis, and I am learning so much here! Can't wait for the next installment!

[@IbbyMelbourne]

About halfway through so far, and the "flat" vs "round" discussion reminded me of how people use the term character development when they mean character arc. Anyway, another great and insightful video! Always love what you both have to say.

[@ACriticalDragon]

The distinction is made slightly more unclear given the link between character development and character arcs in innumerable narratives. So the often close interrelationship can lead to a significant overlap in the understanding of the terms. But like many aspects, knowing that a distinction can exist can help us in being more insightful and specific when we discuss the narratives. Thanks for watching, I am glad that you are enjoying the videos. The next one will be on Philip's channel.

[@OmnivorousReader]

Another great one, thank you both so much. A lot of the points are ones that I guess a 'knew' as a reader, without ever having thought about them as such. Thinking about them intentionally instead of subconsciously is great.

[@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy]

Who better to discuss character than a tweed-clad hero and his draconian Nemesis? Will the tweed be able to withstand the explosive fireballs? Watch to find out!

[@ACriticalDragon]

Sure thing, Moriarty. 😂😂

[@ACriticalDragon]

Did we forget to discuss characterization?

[@Paul_van_Doleweerd]

​​@@ACriticalDragonYou might have done. How uncharacteristic of you. 😊 Edit: more videos then, yay!

[@thefantasythinker]

Excellent character development in this episode. Is the nemesis actually the protagonist as well? Can a dragon be a main character? Can't wait to find out in future episodes! Great stuff as always!

[@christopherwatson1163]

Yeah, The Land of the Thomas Covenant novels is a character in of itself.

[@Paul_van_Doleweerd]

Further to your comments on Jekyll and Hyde, we are a few episodes into Severance, and I'm seeing a lot of parallels already.

[@mmurphy3608]

Do you guys have a list of all the episodes or a playlist? I feel like I might be missing some or getting them out of order. lol.

[@ACriticalDragon]

Look in the information under the video.

[@mmurphy3608]

Ah! Didn’t go deep enough! Thanks:)

[@ACriticalDragon]

No problem at all. I think there is a playlist as well... but I put the video links in each of the videos.

[@EricMcLuen]

Well, technically, if a flat character is one dimensional, a round character would be 2 dimensional. Otherwise, he would be a spherical character. There was something about context referenced but I might have skipped it...

[@cutwir3317]

“Ah yes.” 🍿

[@josephd5879]

Another great video. For fans Star Trek and Star Wars, I always wonder why they think of Vader as a villain because it is revealed that Anakin is the ultimate hero at the end of episode 6. His sacrifice to figuratively and literally overthrow the Emperor completes the hero's journey. If I remember correctly, Lucas did invite Joseph Campbell to the premiere of Return of the Jedi. I will add that this series of How to Analyse Stories has been very interesting for sure.

[@ACriticalDragon]

Well, there was that whole period in the middle when he slaughtered a classroom full of kids, tortured a soldier in his first scene in A New Hope, force chokes a person in a fit of pique, and is the authoritarian fist of an evil, maniacal emperor... How anyone can perceive that as villainous... who knows.

[@Paul_van_Doleweerd]

You two sure are a couple of characters... 😅 Edit: or is it caricatures? 🤔

[@ACriticalDragon]

As a diabolical villain of nefarious intent, Philip certainly is a character... 😅

[@SethPlato01]

20:18 The ammount of indignation.... The real question here is who is Saruman and who is Gandalf here? Also, movie Saruman its the best, "This night, the land will be stained with the blood of Rohan! March to Helms’ Deep! Leave none alive!, TO WAR!" And branding, Saruman has all the branding.

[@ACriticalDragon]

People don't realise that Saruman did an MBA at Middle Earth University and majored in marketing. He was a visionary. 😂

[@EricMcLuen]

​@@ACriticalDragonI believe in one of the Unfinished Tales it describes Radagast's hare raising adventures in animal husbandry.

[@KalleVilenius]

This is where pretentious people like me start talking about James Phelan's split of characters into their synthetic, thematic and mimetic elements. The Nemesis (whichever you that turns out to be in the end) serves the synthetic function of being an antagonist, this is their role in the story. Thematically, they represent all that is wrong with the world, and for that one final added touch of roundness for their character, the Nemesis doesn't accept their role as a Nemesis but argues incessantly in favor of being the good guy, as real people are wont to do. All characters have all of these elements to varying degrees. We could say that flatness of character indicates greater emphasis being placed on the synthetic or thematic elements.

[@ACriticalDragon]

Phelan's work on rhetorical narrative is really interesting.

[@thebigshep]

I can't tell if AP is the hero because he's being blown out with the almighty shining light of God Himself, or if Phillip is the hero because he's American. 🇺🇲🦅💥🇺🇲🍔

[@ACriticalDragon]

My recording situation is ... temporary... I do my best, but I currently don't have a lot of lighting options at present.