We have decided to take a look at character categories that occur in the fables in order to see if similar types of characters are used the same way throughout the fables. We decided to divide our characters elements into four different types: animals, humans, nature elements, and gods. Within those categories, we will also include an attribute to identify what type of animal, human, nature element, or god the character is. For animals, this will be the species; for humans, occupation; nature elements, whatever natural item it is (sun, wind, etc.); and the name of the particular god in the story.
We are also going to try to examine agency and quality of certain characters. For example, is the mouse always the victim? Is the wolf always the predator? We will explore this by marking up each character's actions throughout the fables.
Since there are many characters in Aesop's fables, we found it more managable to create a "Top Ten" and focus mainly on those popular characters. Most of our research will be looking at the dialogue, actions, and interactions of those characters. From there, we will create "mini-profiles" that explain all the character attributes they possess, how they typically behave, with whom they regularly interact, etc.