Direct characterization is a literary technique used by authors to explicitly describe a character’s traits, personality, or qualities. In this approach, the writer provides straightforward information about a character, often through narration or dialogue, allowing readers to understand what the character is like without needing to infer or deduce these traits from actions or interactions.
For example, a sentence like "Sarah was a kind and generous person, always willing to help those in need" exemplifies direct characterization. The author directly tells the reader about Sarah's attributes, making her character clear and identifiable. This contrasts with indirect characterization, where a character's traits are revealed through their actions, thoughts, speech, or how other characters perceive them.