Stereotypes


A cliché becomes a cliché because we recognise and re-use it.

As a writer I know editors don’t want stereotyped characters. They want new, fresh and engaging. But stereotypes play an important role. They move on and off-stage with a minimum of description and fuss, and they can be gently subverted to provide sly fun.

As a reader, I like stereotypes. I’m happy to know the red haired heroine will be feisty; that tall, dark and handsome will be heroic; that nerds wear glasses and provide the means of solving difficulties. Stereotypes are comforting in their familiarity.

Sometimes a writer such as P G Wodehouse will create his own stereotype (think of the gently ineffective Bertie Wooster and his “rabbit” clones) and then recycle it through a number of characters and stories, to the delight of his readers.

Stereotypes are part of storytelling technique.


Comments?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.