: Re: What's the difference between a 1-, 2- or 3-dimensional character? The terms are bandied around quite often to describe fictional characters, generally in order to help describe how developed a

@Nickens642

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In the novel Flatland, a book where the characters are all geometrical figures, there are one-dimensional characters: lines, two-dimentionsal characters: squares and circles, and three-dimensional characters: cubes and spheres. :-)

Outside of that, we pretty much talk about "one-dimensional" versus "three-dimensional". The latter is also called "well rounded" or "well developed". I don't recall ever hearing someone talk about a "two-dimensional character".

By "one dimensional" we mean a character whose entire personality can be summed up in a sentence or two. He is a stereotype. If I tell you the character is a "rebellious teenager", a "greedy businessman", a "zealous political activist", etc, I've told you all there is to know about him.

A "well developed" character is much more difficult to describe. You might start out by saying that he is, say, a greedy businessman. But to understand the character, you would also have to explain that he is a loving father, a thoughtful Libertarian, an enthusiastic but unsuccessful baseball player, a lover of Mexican food, etc.

Think of real people you know. Could you describe them in one sentence? Probably not. Real people have not just many attributes to their personality, but often seemingly contradictory attributes. Someone may be excitable and emotional in some ways but very calm and reserved about other things. He may be generous with friends and familiy but tight-fisted with strangers. Hard-working at her job but lazy about housekeeping. Etc.

In general, the main characters in a story should not be one-dimensional. For the reader to be interested in them, they should be complex, realistic people.

Most stories have peripheral characters who can, and arguably should be, one-dimensional. For example, if there's a brief mention of the hero stopping at a store to buy whatever, the clerk will normally be a very simple, short-lived, one-dimensional character. He may be helpful or rude, capable or incompetent, as fits the story. But we don't normally expect a long discussion of his family background, his hopes and dreams, his religious and political affiliation, etc. In most cases that would bog the story down with irrelevant detail that would distract the reader from the main action.

But I've seen plenty of movies and read plenty of books where I found myself saying, "Yeah, yeah, I get it, this character is the enthusiastic but inexperienced young man, this one is the pretty girl who turns out to be tougher than any of the men, this one is the corrupt politician, etc." That makes them all boring.

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