Stock Character

The phrase stock character refers to one-dimensional characters in literature, theater, and film who are constructed based on archetypical or stereotypical representations that inform their speech, mannerisms, style of dress, personality traits, or behavioral patterns, which are easily identifiable to a particular audience. Some examples of stock characters include the following: the hero, the villain, the damsel in distress, and the ingénue. Stock characters are beneficial to writers because they allow the author an opportunity to introduce ...