This study attempts to define more clearly the concepts 'flat character' and
'round character' by examining instances of Sepedi literature. Definitions
provided by theorists are in most cases vague and may lead to
unsatisfactory interpretations. The best examples in this instance are the
definitions provided by Forster - they create problems particularly with
references to the concept 'round character'. Forster's definition creates the
impression that the difference can be based on the manner of
characterization. In this investigation, attention is thus paid to
characterization, while it is pointed out that these concepts are not to be
confused with the concepts 'antagonist', 'protagonist' and 'tritagonist'. The
latter types of characters are classified as structural elements while the
former are thematically important.
The Sepedi literary works chosen for the purposes of this study represent
the four most important prose genres in Sepedi. Tsebe's Noto-ya-
Masogana ( 1954) is the representative of the category 'love story';
Kekana's Nnete Fela (1989) is a detective story; Rammala's Lukas
Motsheletshele (1963) and Mphahlele's Letsogo Ia Molao (1984) are tragic narratives , while Phatudi concentrates on and describes elements of pathos
in his Tladi wa Dikgati (1971 ). The characters in Tsebe and Kekana's narratives are flat. Whereas
Tsebe's Lesibana is portrayed as a multidimensional character, Ariel in
Kekana's detective story is presented as one - dimensional. According to
the definitions of Forster, Lesibana could be classified as a round character
and Ariel as a flat character. The problem that surfaces in this instance also
becomes manifest in the investigation into Rammala, Mphahlele and
Phatudi's works. Rammala's Lukas Motsheletshele and Mphahlele's Faro
are multidimensional characters as opposed to Phatudi's Tladi who is onedimensional,
yet all of them are round characters.
The distinction that can be drawn between the concepts 'flat character' and
'round character' has to do with humaneness. The reader's identification
with the flat charater is based on the reader's ability to distinguish between
good and evil, while an understanding of and a feeling for fellow human
beings determine identification with the round character. The author brings
about this identification process by using a variety of literary devices. In this thesis, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the theme of each of
the mentioned works and on how this theme determines the character
types. The concept of 'identification' is a central issue in this study and has
thus been explained in detail. The specific literary devices used by the
author to bring about this identification have thus also been carefully
investigated and discussed. It was discovered that characterization as such does not determine whether characters are flat or round; instead, this is
determined thematically. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2002. / gm2014 / African Languages / unrestricted
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:up/oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/42283 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Lekganyane, Enniah Matemane |
| Contributors | Mojalefa, Mawatle Jeremiah |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | © 2002 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
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