Literary figures have no pre-history. It is said that a theatre director who was staging one of Harold Pinter's plays asked the playwright for some hints as to what his characters were up to before they came on stage. Pinter's reply was 'Mind your own fucking business.
In the realm of literature, characters emerge fully formed within the context of their stories, without a detailed or necessary history preceding their entrance. This concept highlights that the essence of literary figures lies in their actions and dialogue rather than in an exploration of their pasts. They are crafted to exist and resonate within the narrative itself.
Anecdotes, such as the interaction between Harold Pinter and a theatre director, illustrate this point. Pinter's sharp response to the director's query about his characters' backgrounds underscores the idea that what matters is the present moment and the characters' roles within the unfolding story, not their history. This emphasizes how literary works often prioritize the immediacy of character interactions over extensive backstories.
