One of the things I enjoy the most about O&L is the time spent on minor, incidental characters who only appear in a chapter or two. "Minor" characters
Posted by Cheryl on January 29, 1998 at 14:12:37:
One of the things I enjoy the most about O&L is the time spent on minor, incidental characters who only appear in a chapter or two.
I can clearly see Mrs. Williams worridly brushing her hair; Lucy Miller angry at the intrusion of Mr. Hopkins in her kitchen; Mrs. Stratton cheerfully taking both sides of an argument; Mrs. Burrows carrying on two clandestine afairs, etc.
A few times I wondered why we never returned to a character (Mrs. Burrows, for example) who was given a whole chapter of her own, making it seem as if she were going to be an instrumental character. But I think I've decided it's simply because they are written so vividly and are given lives and histories of their own, the entire book is enriched-- all the small parts go into the making of the whole.
What do you think? Who is your favorite minor character?
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