Focal character

Focal character

In literature, a focal character is the character around whom the events of the story revolve. He is "the person on whom the spotlight focuses; the center of attention; the man whose reactions dominate the screen." [cite book
last = Swain
first = Dwight V.
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Techniques of the Selling Writer
publisher = University of Oklahoma Press
date = 1965
location = Norman
pages = 320-323
url =
doi =
id = ISBN 0-8061-1191-7 (paper)
]

This is not necessarily the same thing as the protagonist, nor is it the same as the viewpoint character. As an interesting aside, in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works of Sherlock Holmes, Watson is the viewpoint character, but the story revolves around Holmes, making him the focal character.

References


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