What Tropes Involve Characters With Black Hair In Novels?

Question

Searching for dark-haired protagonists or villains in fantasy and romance novels because I've gotten hooked on that specific character visual. Want more stories with that aesthetic driving the plot.

Subang Ni Wil Villa · Answer

Novels with black-haired characters are often contrasted against very vibrant or ‘pure’ characters. In ‘His Princess of Darkness’, the black hair of the male lead symbolizes his role as an immortal king, cold and ancient, and the overall aesthetic of his court further reinforces his brooding power. The story makes his hair a significant plot point in relation to a certain magical bloodline and the struggle for the throne.

Fiona · Answer

For the purposes of literary analysis, I notice tropes in a similar way to how a detective would identify patterns. The black hair of characters in novels is often symbolic of other things, like mysterious foreignness in older literature, or moral ambiguity in thrillers. On the other hand, the raven-haired beauty is a familiar trope of the romantic novel, but recently many writers have tried to give the black-haired characters more agency than to simply be beautiful.

Dark hair can also be used to convey a poetic or emotional tone, often by novelists and poets. The black-haired character in a story can also be the anchor to which the other characters relate. This black-haired character keeps secrets that others in the story do not know, and he or she holds the rest of the characters together in some way. Again, this is a trope that shifts depending on the time period of the novel and the intentions of the author, and so it can be very interesting to follow this character type through decades and learn more about how our cultural attitudes have shifted with regard to identity and otherness.

Yasmine · Answer

This one physical trait can often be used to tell a whole lot of story and I think black hair is one of the most interesting traits for this kind of storytelling. Most often dark hair is associated with a sense of mystery, or intensity of some sort. The reader immediately understands that this character is most likely brooding, secretive in some way and possibly hiding a traumatic or complicated past.

Most notably, writers can flip the typical black hair = intensity association and have it represent earthiness or even resilience. So a hero or even a protag can be made to be a hardy, down-to-earth sort of person. In fantasy, it can denote a magical bloodline that the character isn’t aware of. Or in a thriller, it can serve as contrast to a very pale and even blonde other character. My personal favorite portrayals of black hair are those that subvert stereotype rather than reinforcing it. And typically, I find that black hair isn’t even a stereotype on its own, so it can be used in a wide variety of ways by writers.

Owen · Answer

Literary fiction featuring black-haired protagonists includes many classic story archetypes including the Gothic heroine, the vengeful outsider, the enigmatic tutor and the doomed artist. Use of hair in novels can function as a poetic device or as cultural signifier, often in combination. The classic Gothic and Romantic novels often describe dark-haired protagonists in terms of their stormy, danger-laden or repressed emotions. The novelist’s descriptions of the external world support the mood of the novel as a whole.

Many modern literary fiction authors have reclaimed these earlier uses of dark hair in fiction. Dark hair can be depicted as completely ordinary and readers can be shown the inner life of the black-haired character instead of being distracted by exoticizing stares at the hair. This type of depiction is also great because it’s fun and lush in the context of older fiction, and this is completely different from how hair is used in modern fiction. Any of these uses of black hair in fiction are great as long as they’re done well and thoughtfully.

Isaac · Answer

Yes. When I think of black hair in fiction, I often get caught up in the dramatic theatricality of it all. In a hard-boiled or noir-inspired mystery, black hair can adorn the head of a mysterious femme fatale or informally dressed mysterious informant. In fantasy stories, black hair can signify the hero/ine is “Doomed” or part of a “Cursed Line” of characters. In very realistic, slice-of-life stories, black hair is used to tell the reader a lot about a character’s background and nature without having to explain everything in prose.

But it can be so much fun to play with expectations and have a character who’s entirely against type for the trope – so black-haired but otherwise utterly,Bubblegum- Ordinary. It reminds me that tropes are tools not rules and that writers who remember this can create absolutely delightful moments in their work, so wonderfully and honestly satisfying to read.

Liam · Answer

The first I notice is that black hair equals intense. This can be a great brooding hero or even a clever villain trying to hide his true intentions. In contemporary YA, this can also mean that your tough main character is also the most grounded in reality and will not be swayed by trivial things.

I also notice that in many fantasy and saga stories, hair color can also indicate heritage, or fit into a visual motif for a particular family. Often it’s used to help readers understand relationships and how characters are connected. This can be so cool when an author uses this visual shorthand and actually builds out a rich backstory behind it, rather than it just being a convenient tropish shortcut.

radinlartieda76 · Answer

Honestly, tropes are given way too much credit. Sometimes a character is simply described as having black hair because that’s how the author envisioned them. Other times, the character has black hair because it looks cool and they put him on the cover with black hair so it would look cool. Not every dark-haired brooder is a trope. Sometimes a guy is just a guy with black hair who is having a bad century or so. I don’t want to take away from someone’s ability to enjoy a character by reducing them to a whole list of all the possible tropes that could possibly apply to them. Maybe the author just likes the color black.

Linda Sims · Answer

The 'hereditary ruler' trope uses black hair as a living crown. In stories where the royal family is known for their black hair, every heir to the throne has the same color locks as the rest of their family. Legitimacy to rule is shown by the ruler's hair and thus a usurper would wear a wig or use magic to change his or her hair color to that of the true heir. A lost heir may even be found due to their hair. Their black hair generally symbolizes something more than the personal characteristics of the ruler. It can symbolize their political identity and their bloodline to the throne. To the character, their hair can be something that they are very proud of or a great burden. Their black hair is a constant reminder that their identity is tied to their responsibility as a ruler to their kingdom and people.

Dear Excellency · Answer

Hair described as ‘blue-black’ or with a ‘navy sheen’ usually denotes a connection to the sea, rivers or water magic. Unlike regular black hair, ‘blue-black’ hair has a distinct depth, mystery and fluidity to it. It denotes a character who is a sailor, pirate, water elemental or from a coastal culture. The subtle blue undertone is always there, quietly reminding the viewer of the character’s affinity. This is a more poetic and specific way to use hair color for worldbuilding than simply describing a character’s hair as black. Here, the hair of a character connects directly to their environment, culture or elemental powers in a subtle yet always visible way.

Destiny Nipper · Answer

Many artist/musician characters are portrayed with unkempt, black hair. This looks like hair that has been pulled through fingers of a tired artist, posing a problem as they attempt to work on canvas or composition. The hair may be pulled back into a ponytail with paint-splattered brushes stuck in it, or it may fall messily down the face of someone with intense eyes. Such hair is evidence of someone’s complete absorption in their work. A creative genius is often depicted romantically, with their physical appearance in disarray but deep inside them is a world of great creativity and feeling. In these characters, their black hair appears to be alive with their creative energy. It often escapes its confines, much as the character’s ideas cannot be contained.

What Tropes Involve Characters With Black Hair In Novels?

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