What Are Characters, How Are They Created and Experienced? (T)

Chapter 3 deals with the definition, genesis, and reception of characters and lays a theoretical foundation for the following chapters. Characters are defined as recognisable represented beings with an inner life. From an ontological point of view, they are social artefacts that are created in communication processes on the basis of intersubjective rules and collective dispositions. Characters themselves are therefore not to be confused with their textual or mental representations. The reception of characters involves cognitive and affective processes on several levels: from sensory perception and mental modelling to the comprehension of higher meanings and the reflection on communicative contexts in reality. On this basis, several principles and distinctions are derived that should be considered when analysing and interpreting characters. These include, for example, the dependence of analytical procedures on certain objectives, as well as the distinction between empirical, intended, and ideal reception. The triangulation of philosophical theories of meaning, aesthetic theories of artworks, and psychological theories of reception confirms that characters have four essential dimensions: They are simultaneously represented beings, artefacts, symbols, and symptoms.