Shadows on the Chessboard is an illustrated publication featuring thirty morally ambiguous characters from classic and popular literature, as well as from my own stories. The characters reveal both their good and bad sides, and the short descriptions and illustrations help readers immerse themselves in their world. My goal was not necessarily to develop the characters further, but rather to experiment and observe the direction in which character portrayal is heading today, when, in my opinion, there are fewer clearly good or bad characters. With my work, I would like to show how morally gray characters play an important role in storytelling and how they shape the audience’s thinking. The aim of the project is to make this increasingly dominant character type understandable in visual form.
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Consultant: habil. Lajos Csontó
For my thesis, I chose to examine the effects of morally ambiguous character portrayals. In my research, I explore the extent to which these contribute to the formation of our morals and how they support acceptance and self-reflection. I discuss the role of illustrated stories in the development of morality. I explore the concepts of stereotype and prejudice, and I also present the phenomena of “beauty privilege” and “halo effect”. I will discuss the term “morally gray” and seek answers to the question of what lies behind our psychological attraction to fictional villains. I will discuss the role of book illustrations and novels and their importance, and examine specific character portrayals. I consider it important to explore this topic because, although “morally gray” characters are not new, they have been rediscovered in recent years and, in my opinion, are now enjoying their golden age. We talk little about their influence, even though it is evident in literature, film, and social media.
Consultant: Károly Szabó
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