Stock character

Stock character

1. Stock Character (With Literary Examples)

2. Stock character A stock character is a  stereotypical  fictional  person or type of person  in a work of art such as a novel, play, or a film whom audiences recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary  tradition . Examples: Absent-minded professor :An eccentric scientific genius who is so focused on his work that he has shortfalls in other areas of life (remembering things, grooming). Con Artist: A person who tricks people out of money by gaining, and then betraying their confidence. Housewife: A busy mother of the protagonist family, she takes care of the children and does the housework. Her appearance ranges from homely to average. Antihero , Hero, Heroine, Mad scientist , Milkman , Nice guy , Pirate , Tragic hero, villain etc.

3. The presence of a particular range of stock characters is a key component of many  genres , and they often help to identify a genre or subgenre. Example: a story with a  knight-errant  and a  witch  is probably a  fairy tale  or  fantasy . They are distinguished by their simplification and  flatness . 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 stock characters help to move the story along more efficiently, by allowing the audience to already understand the character and their motivations.