Literature Glossary
Don’t be an oxymoron. Know your literary terms.
Over 200 literary terms, Shmooped to perfection.
Stock Character
Definition:
Hagrid. Hodor. Fezzik. What do these three massive men have in common—aside from gargantuan grocery bills? They're all the same stock character: a gentle giant, to be specific.
A stock character is a conventional character that's instantly recognizable to readers because it pops up everywhere. A lot. Evil stepmothers. Tortured artists. Reluctant heroes. Manic pixie dream girls. They're all stock characters.
Since stock characters are such familiar stereotypes, they're often pretty one-dimensional and boring… but they don't have to be. Skilled writers sometimes use stock characters to subvert the very conventions that they're associated with. Hello, Neville Longbottom.