What is a protagonist in literature? What are some examples of protagonists and how can we identify them? MA in Literature student Marisa Williams answers these questions using examples from Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried," and other common literary and cultural texts.
The short video is designed to help high school and college English students to not only identify protagonists in literature but also to analyze their characteristics and influence upon plot. A collaborative partnership between Marisa Williams and OSU Senior Lecturer Liz Delf, the video is sponsored by the School of Writing, Literature, and Film at Oregon State University. For more discussions of literary topics and essay writing tips, please subscribe to the free SWLF YouTube Channel or visit https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/oregon-state-guide-english-literary-terms
Spanish subtitles are now available for this video. To access these subtitles, click on the settings icon in the video.
Timestamps:
0:00 Protagonist Defined
0:50 Identifying Protagonists
2:24 Variations of Protagonists
Below are a few more videos in the series. Please drop us a comment letting us know what literary terms you would like us to explore in future videos!