e115. Why Do We Love Minor Characters?

Every story (well most stories) have a protagonist that we follow throughout the narrative. Usually we are meant to identify with them; they are our link to the plot and the world of the story. Typically, their worlds are fleshed out by any number of supporting characters that they interact with: friends, lovers, enemies. These characters are often just as interesting as the protagonist and often… if the you look at the story the right way, could be considered the protagonist in their own right. And then… then there are the others… minor characters, who aren’t necessarily fully realized, but are purely designed to flesh out the world. And yet, sometimes we love these characters. Sometimes, they become so beloved that they become bigger parts of the story than they were ever intended to be. Sometimes they can even replace the original protagonist. Other times, they don’t. They may stay minor characters and yet we love them anyway. On today’s episode, Wayne, Hannah and Mav welcome back returning guests Nicole Freim and Meron Langsner to discuss the concept of minor characters, how they become popular and why we identify with them as readers or viewers. Give it a listen and let us know your thoughts.

Citations and Links:

YouTube version of this episode:

1 Comment and 11 Webmentions for “e115. Why Do We Love Minor Characters?”

  1. Minor characters are a seasoning. Like seasoning, too much of a minor character and you ruin the dish (ie. Game of Thrones books 4 and 5) . Sometimes the seasoning is so good it can work on its own. most of the time, not so much.

    The Jesus Rolls, is essentially a remake of a 70’s Gerad Depardieu film called “LES VALSEUSES”. The 70s french film is suppose to be better all around. file this under remakes for an additional podcast.

    One last point, Yoda was making dinner in his home on Dagobah, Luke tasted it and made a bad face. Most things in Star Wars 7, 8, & 9 are fan service throwbacks.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *