literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

, a character sketch, or character, is a rough-and-ready rendering and thumbnail portrayal of an individual, capturing, in brief, that person's physical characteristics, psychological attributes, and the like. The brief descriptions often capitalize on the more unusual or humorous aspects of the person's character. Character sketches are usually identified by irony, humor, exaggeration, and satire. The term originated in portraiture, where the character sketch is a common academic exercise. The artist performing a character sketch attempts to capture an expression or gesture that goes beyond coincident actions and gets to the essence of the individual. The first English writer to delve into the form, Joseph Hall, published his book ''Characters of Virtues and Vices'' in 1608. However, the character sketch didn't become popular amongst the literate public until the late-seventeenth century. The public appreciated sketches for their humor and readable style. As Pat Rogers notes,

Henry Fielding Henry Fielding (22 April 1707 – 8 October 1754) was an English novelist, irony writer, and dramatist known for earthy humour and satire. His comic novel ''Tom Jones'' is still widely appreciated. He and Samuel Richardson are seen as founders ...

, in book I, chapter 14 of ''

Joseph Andrews ''The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and of his Friend Mr. Abraham Adams'', was the first full-length novel by the English author Henry Fielding to be published and among the early novels in the English language. Appearing in 1742 ...

'' (1742), invokes

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, social critic, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like ...

(1697–1764) to create a character sketch of Mrs. Tow-wouse: "Indeed, if Mrs. Tow-wouse had given no Utterance to the Sweetness of her Temper, Nature had taken such Pains in her Countenance, that Hogarth himself never gave more Expression to a Picture."

Thomas Overbury Sir Thomas Overbury (baptized 1581 – 14 September 1613) was an English poet and essayist, also known for being the victim of a murder which led to a scandalous trial. His poem ''A Wife'' (also referred to as ''The Wife''), which depicted the ...

(-1613), John Earle (-1665),

Richard Steele Sir Richard Steele (bap. 12 March 1672 – 1 September 1729) was an Anglo-Irish writer, playwright, and politician, remembered as co-founder, with his friend Joseph Addison, of the magazine ''The Spectator''. Early life Steele was born in D ...

(1672–1729), and Joseph Addison (1672–1719) also wrote notable character sketches. Addison and Steele's sketches appeared in a periodical that was issued twice a week under the name ''The Spectator'' (1711–1712). They created several personas such as Roger de Coverly, Mr. Spectator, and Captain Sentry, who represented different classes in English society. Using the point of view of these personas, Addison and Steele wrote sketches that addressed important events in the social and political atmospheres. In the United States,

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among ...

published a series of character sketches in 1856. Whitman's sketches involved mostly physical descriptions, however, like Addison and Steele, his sketches were written with a purpose. Rather than make social or political commentary, Whitman used the opportunity to provide sketches that publicly praised his friends and ridiculed his enemies. In later literature, a character sketch became a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

or narrative presented without significant action or plot, as the purpose of the writing is solely to present a character at their typical. Character sketches of this sort are also frequently found in journalism and regionalist humor (e.g., sketches of "Big John" or "the country rube" or "the wise Squire"). Each of these attempts to delineate a model of a type (a category of person) rather than a realistic person. Today, the character sketch appears mostly in the writings of satiric novelists such as

Thomas Pynchon Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr. ( , ; born May 8, 1937) is an American novelist noted for his dense and complex novels. His fiction and non-fiction writings encompass a vast array of subject matter, genres and themes, including history, music, scie ...

(1937– ). The character sketch has also been adapted to appear on television in both dramatic and comedic forms such as TV serials, movies etc.{{Such as?, date=March 2022

References

* Rogers, Pat. "'How I Want Thee, Humorous Hogart': The Motif of the Absent Artist in Swift, Fielding and Others." ''Papers on Language and Literature'' 2006. Visual arts genres Fiction

See also

References