Why Shouldn’t We Think Of Literary Characters As Real? (It’s A Sin)

The warning against treating characters as if they were real stands as agatekeeper to the academic discipline of literary criticism. Studentswho can’t abide by the rule will get bad grades. The professor will sighand conclude that they just don’t have what it takes to become decentliterary critics. Yet the same students may love reading, really getinto the novels we assign, and be both confused and depressed to learnthat to discuss the problems of Elizabeth Bennet as if she were the