Petology - An Introduction to the Study of Character Relationships in Literature

We have developed our own terms for analyzing character roles in our favourite books and movies. If a new category is to be established in our terminology, three examples must be provided in order to create a valid term. These descriptive terms, with examples and explanations, are as follows:

• Main Persons: Frodo, The Princess Buttercup, Lucy Pevensie, Titty, Muggles, Alice, Peter Pan, Westley, Samwise (Some o' the time), Posthumous Leonatus, Wendy, Artos The Pendragon's Son, Paul & Maureen, Luke Skywalker, Jaydee Mooney, Rosalind, Richard Callum, Porsh.

1. Main Persons think.
2. Main Persons are main.
3. Main Persons do The Thing.
4. Almost every book has a Main Person. Some examples of books that do not have Main Persons are the Dictionary, my Saxon math book, etc.

• Pets: The Ultimate Pet is Sam. Some other examples of Pets are Adam (As You Like It), Fezzik, Ben the Fisher Lad (The Lost Baron), Fidele (Pet to Caius Lucius in Cymbeline), Faramir (wizard's pet), Esca, Brotus (from the movie Pendragon), and Bill-Frodi (The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow).

1. Pets are assistant to the Main Person or whomever else they belong to.
2. They do most of the things they are told to do, but sometimes they don't.
3. If Pets are given notice, they might go away, but they come back.
4. Pets are loyal. (If they are not loyal, they aren't Pets.)
5. Pets might be Main Persons of Secondary Plots.
6. Pets might be better than main persons, because Main Persons are preoccupied with their Hopeless Tasks. (this is disputed)

• Companions: Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Fili, Kili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Faramir, Tootles, Nibs, Slightly,The Twins, Curly, Boromir, Merry (Kalimac Brandagamba), Pippin, Daisy, Dum, Dee (the eels). 

1. Companions are people who go on a journey together.
2. Companions all have the same Monger.

• Mongers: Aragorn, Captain Flint (Uncle Jim), Mr. Middleton, Faramir, Peter Pan, Donnel & Keenan, The Mastodon.  

1. Mongers advise the Main Person, but the Main Persons don't have to follow the advice.
2. Mongers order about Companions, who do indeed have to follow the advice.

• Minions: Orcs, Pisanio (Minion to Cymbeline, Pet to Imogen) Faramir (minion to Denethor).

1. "Minions are people who run about and do what they are told." -Joan Windham, Sixty Saints for Girls
2. Just about everyone is a minion of someone or other.

• Supervisors: Grandpa (Princess Bride), Grandpa (Misty of Chincoteague), Bolg, son of Azog, Faramir, Vizzini.

1. Supervisors are people who are in charge of minions.
2. Supervisors provide supervision.

• Helpful Inhabitants: Farmer Maggot, Jacky in Picts and the Martyrs, Faramir, Tom Bombadil (Iarwin Ben-Adar, Forn, Orald), Beorn, The hermit dude in Pendragon, Doc Finney, Friar Tuck.

1. Helpful Inhabitants are inhabitants who are helpful.
2. They often give off food.
3. They can live in unusual places and turn up unexpectedly.
4. They usually don't travel.

• Villains: Humperdinck, Packy Jarboe, Captain Jas. Hook, Count Rugen, Jadis, Cloten Thou Double Villain, Vizzini, Willie Hardy, Cadeyrn, Llewelyn Pierpont Boopfaddle. 

1. Villains are villains.
2. If you don't know what a villain is, look it up in the dicker, or regard the illustration. 

• Main Persons of Secondary Plots: Merry, Pippin, Faramir, Inigo Montoya, Bassanio (Merchant of Venice).

1. Self-explanatory.
2. They can think during their plots.
3. Main Persons of Secondary Plots are often Secondary Persons of Main Plots.

• Supermongers: Gandalf, Aslan, The Grandfather in Princess Bride, Mary Poppins.

1. A person who mongs everyone in the whole story, except the villains. 'Mong' is derived from mong (English), mange (French), and magnus (Latin). In this case, it means, "To Supervise, Advise, Take care of in bad situations, Be in charge of."
2. Supermongers often have supernatural powers or are omniscient regarding the story. 

• Useful Convertible Villains: Inigo Montoya, Ralph the robber, Janus (Wheel on the School), Horace (Rangers Apprentice), Lando Calrissian, Oliver de Bois, Flambeau. 

1. These people start by fighting the main person.
2. Then they stop.
3. Then they are good guys.
4. Then they are useful, as they are good at fighting.

Thus we have a workable vocabulary to use whilst discussing the Petology of the books we have read. It is also useful while we contemplate and brainstorm plot and character development for the fairy tales and other stories we write as part of our Writing Committee. Can you think of any other good character examples to fit our categories?