Foils....

IReidandWrite · Dec 12, 2009

Every character in my novel has a foil. Sometimes one character may be a foil to two or three. Does this bother you?

I kind of like it, actually.

Slushie · Dec 12, 2009

Does it bother me? Absolutely not. I want characters to be flawed, just like real people. If a character has no negative personality traits, they come across as flat and unsympathetic.

Assuming 'foil' is referring to negative traits, and not the stuff I wrapped turkey in.

IReidandWrite · Dec 12, 2009

A foil, as I understand it, is a character with similar background/personality as another.

Slushie · Dec 13, 2009

I have never heard it used that way. Come to think of it, the only time I've heard the term foil has been 'Argh! You've foiled my plan!'

Like, you're characters have similar traits? How are they similar? They both like apples? They both murder for pleasure? Reading a book where the characters were all similar seems like it wouldn't move the conflict along. I try to have each of my characters bring something uniqe, some view and responses that makes their dialogue predictable so I don't need tags.

This is too much thinking right now. I am feeling incoherent and need to go sleep. Sorry if this makes little to no sense.

Terie · Dec 13, 2009

Project nachonaco said:
A foil, as I understand it, is a character with similar background/personality as another.

No, not really. In literature, 'foil' is used to mean 'help set off by contrast' (not similarity) in the same way that metal foil is used behind gemstones to make them shine.

See here: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=foil

Toothpaste · Dec 13, 2009

I think if it became predictable, like as a reader I was thinking, "Well it looks like everyone in this book has a foil, I wonder who so-and-sos will be" it might get tedious. But anything can be done if done well. Just make sure to stay true to your story and that you aren't just playing with a literary device.

Slushie · Dec 13, 2009

I have never heard of this term and assumed it meant something else. Now I feel like a moron.

But I did learn something new, and Terie's definition makes more sense.

AryaT92 · Dec 13, 2009

EyeSeaAll said:
I have never heard of this term and assumed it meant something else. Now I feel like a moron.

I also expected a heated discussion on tin foil.. As long as the character's have different voices then you should be fine.

Terie · Dec 13, 2009

EyeSeaAll said:
I have never heard of this term and assumed it meant something else. Now I feel like a moron.

If you've never heard a term before, you shouldn't feel like a moron for not knowing what it means.

Albannach · Dec 13, 2009

The term isn't one you hear a lot, but people use the device almost instinctively. My MCs foil in my recent novel is a much older man who at times acts as a mentor (by smacking him on the back of the head for being stupid) but mostly he is a foil because he emphasises my MCs youth and inexperience.

wardigital · Dec 13, 2009

I feel like if, within a story, every character had another character who was similar to them, that might get pretty monotonous. But as other posters have suggested I'm not so sure that is what foil means? So is it what the original poster meant...he made that clarification after all.

If it means that every character has a contrasting character, depending on how interesting the overall story structure is, I don't see a problem.

Albannach · Dec 13, 2009

I'm not sure you'd want to give every character a foil, but it can be a good emphasis for your MC, highlighting what they are like.

secretblue3 · Dec 13, 2009

Terie said:
No, not really. In literature, 'foil' is used to mean 'help set off by contrast' (not similarity) in the same way that metal foil is used behind gemstones to make them shine.

See here: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=foil

Perhaps the OP means a mirror character?

Mirroring or parallels - A character or incident mirrors another character or incident when the two follow similar plots, act in similar ways or contain similar elements or traits. Remember, though, that a mirror image is also opposite - left is right. So one mirror character may be rich, the other poor; one relationship may end happily, the other unhappily. Authors use mirrors to add depth to stories and to increase the reader's interest in and appreciation for the characters and their situations. Mirrors are used frequently on situation comedy shows - watch for them!

http://www.leasttern.com/LitTerms/literary_terms.htm

I'm not sure you want every character to be a mirror for another, but if it enhances the story and isn't distracting, I don't see the harm.

Kalyke · Dec 13, 2009

Yeah, a foil is like Pancho Sanchez to Don Quixote, he is an opposite, not a mirror. Usually even described as so. Quixote: Tall, lean/ Sanchez: pudgy, short--etc. in manner: Qioxote: A dreamer/ Sanchez: Pragmatic, a realist.

A "Twins" theme often has mirrors in it.

ishtar'sgate · Dec 13, 2009

I always think of foils as characters who are there to make the protag look good - like Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.

Judg · Dec 13, 2009

foil–noun
...
4. a person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast: The straight man was an able foil to the comic.

Caitlin Black · Dec 13, 2009

And here I thought a foil was a fencing implement...

Albannach · Dec 13, 2009

In literature, a foil doesn't necessarily make the MC look better. In the Holmes--Watson comparison for example, while Watson made Holmes look more intelligent, he did not make him look kind or less of a social misfit. In fact, in many ways, Watson was the sane one, discouraging drug use for example. He married; Holmes' dislike of women was notorious. You could make a lengthy list.

But he very much emphasised what kind of person Holmes was by being the opposite.

Mad Queen · Dec 14, 2009

I like it when characters have foils. When they don't, it's easy to lose your perspective and unusual traits become banal.

ishtar'sgate · Dec 14, 2009

Albannach said:
In literature, a foil doesn't necessarily make the MC look better. In the Holmes--Watson comparison for example, while Watson made Holmes look more intelligent, he did not make him look kind or less of a social misfit. In fact, in many ways, Watson was the sane one, discouraging drug use for example. He married; Holmes' dislike of women was notorious. You could make a lengthy list.

But he very much emphasised what kind of person Holmes was by being the opposite.

Right. I should have specified - intelligent, observant, etc. - the qualities that make for a great detective. Watson never figured anything out and was usually in the dark right up until the end.

Lady Ice · Dec 14, 2009

A foil is a character which contrasts with the personality of another. For example, a brazen stripper might be the foil for an innocent. Foils are used to highlight flaws or virtues in your main character; so the innocent looks particularly naive and innocent when placed against the brazen stripper.

However, beware of creating opposite land: 'Look, Character A is nice! But Character B is nasty! Character C is generous but Character D is stingy!' Real people aren't as simplistic as being simply the extreme end of something; using foils badly can come across as lazy characterisation or trying to glorify a weak MC.

Slushie · Dec 14, 2009

Lady Ice said:
However, beware of creating opposite land: 'Look, Character A is nice! But Character B is nasty! Character C is generous but Character D is stingy!' Real people aren't as simplistic as being simply the extreme end of something; using foils badly can come across as lazy characterisation or trying to glorify a weak MC.

Yes, this. That was my first thought after finding out 'character foil' wasn't something sold at a grocery store, but an acutal literary device.

Elias Graves · Dec 14, 2009

A foil needn't necessarily contrast the entire character's personality. They can also be used to highlight one or more specific traits.
Foils can also come in unexpected places. It may be a minor character or you could use one trait of your antagonist to foil something specific in your protagonist's character.

EG

Foils....

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