Protagonist

According to Marion Klara’s Introduction to Literary Studies, protagonist is a “technical term for the main character in a literary text”. The Dictionary.com says: “First recorded in 1665–75; from Greek prōtagōnistḗs “actor who plays the first part,” literally, “first combatant,” equivalent to prôt(os) “first” + agōnistḗs “one who contends for a prize, combatant, actor”; proto-, antagonist.” (“An Introduction to Literary Studies”, “Dictionary.com”)

The term "protagonist" refers to the main character or central figure in a literary work. This character drives the plot forward and is often the focal point of the story’s events and conflicts. The protagonist typically faces challenges, makes key decisions, and undergoes significant growth or change throughout the narrative. While the protagonist is usually depicted as a positive or sympathetic character, they can also be flawed or morally ambiguous, adding complexity to the story. (“An Introduction to Literary Studies”)

Example in An Introduction to Literary Studies: “Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy (1759– 67) or Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield (1849–50). The opening lines of J.D. Salinger’s (1919–) The Catcher in the Rye (1951) also refer to the tradition of first-person narration by the protagonist: “If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it.”7 These first-person narrations by protagonists aim at a supposedly authentic representation of the subjective experiences and feelings of the narrator.”  (“An Introduction to Literary Studies”)

"Protagonist." An Introduction to Literary Studies, by Mario Klarer, 2nd ed., Routledge, 2004, dictionary, pp. 21-22..

"Protagonist." Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/protagonist.

Alena Petlachová 525900