Stock character

Uncommon card · No. 87263

A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a type of character in a narrative (e.g. a novel, play, television show, or film) whom audiences recognize across many narratives or as part of a storytelling tradition or convention. There is a wide range of stock characters, covering people of various ages, social classes and demeanors. Archetypal characters are regarded by some audiences or reviewers as simplistic cookie-cutter characters, targeted for parody and criticized as clichés. However, the presence of a particular array of stock characters is a key component of many genres, and they often help to identify that genre or subgenre. For example, a story with the stock characters of a knight-errant and a witch is probably a fairy tale or fantasy. There are several purposes to using stock characters. Stock characters are a time- and effort-saving shortcut for story creators, as authors can populate their tale with existing well-known character types. Another benefit is that...

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