Character Study – As a Literary Feature Thiru GRACE ALEXANDER P. S. G. Arts College, Coimbatore Any form of literature deals with men and matter, as literature is a criticism of life as Mathew Arnold puts it. The best form of tribute to any individual can be paid through the pages of literature as the name and fame of the person portrayed in it will become pertinent themes of study for the future generations. Though Man’s life on earth is limited, his memory can be immortalized by a poet in his works. Death cannot annihilate the memory of Ilhanko Vadikal's Kanaki and Kovalan, Milton’s Satan and Messiah, Kampan’s Raman and Seethai. Men may come and men may go" but these immortal men and women will live for ever in the pages of literature. Much more than that, they will have their due abode in the hearts and minds of the human world at large. These literary personalities are called characters by critics. Aristotle says that plot is the most important among the six requisites for a tragedy, the other being character, diction, thought, spectacle and memory. Since the ancient drama was a drama of destiny, it obliterated character, whereas in the modern drama plot is subordinate to character. Such is the view that De Quincy' maintains. 1 11
