What makes a good character and/or relationship?

[Ashley]

Most of the books I read (and write!) focus heavily on the characters and their relationships with each other.

So, I'm curious to get your opinions!

1. What do you enjoy seeing when characters interact with each other?
2. In first person narratives, do you prefer when the character speaks candidly or do you prefer it with a bit more flavor. (E.g. "Then, I basked in a bit of mortification as I realized that they probably saw Damien kiss me. Crap. I wondered if there was any chance at all I could convince them there had been mistletoe there?" as opposed to less internal monologue.)
3. Do you have any particular examples of (lines, books, or even just an author) where the characterization and relationships were portrayed in a manner that blew you away?
4. What do you absolutely HATE seeing in books regarding character and relationship development?

Hopefully, all those questions made sense! Also, if you could mention what kind of genre(s) you prefer reading - just to get a sense of things :)

[Thayer]

I only just joined the group, but would like to say that I think that any relationship between the characters has to be evolving, not too fast, not too slow. One reads about lackluster "cardboard" characters, but I think this applies to relationships as well. Relationships of any depth bring out the strength, but also the vulnerabilities of each character. Those strengths and vulnerabilities are what gives dimension to any relationship, whether that relationship turns out to be fair or foul.

I don't mind first person narrative as long as it is not weighted by unyielding introspection. I do like introspection in literature, so that is a plus, but it can also become too bloated, and there is always the danger of a sort of repetition in internal dialogue if over-indulged in. I think that a writer can show many things in first person narrative without the constant voice of the observer, and that is the trick to writing in that format.

The evolving relationship in Hermann Hesse's, Narcissus and Goldmund, is a good example of character/relationship dynamics. I can't think of a specific line at the top of my head, though. It's a very affecting novel.

The final question circles back to the first one for me. If the relationship is not layered, the dialogue true to form (realistic, in the sense of time, place, etc.), then you have one-dimensional everything. Not so good.

The questions make perfect sense. For my own tastes, I like historical novels with layers of atmosphere and again, evolving characters and relationships. But, I also like a bit of magic realism in dramatic literature. South American writers are masters at this. I adore Southern Gothic novelists (ie: Welty, Faulkner) and playwrights (ie: Tennessee Williams, Lillian Hellman).

Best wishes with your writing!