literary archetype
Recurring character mold
A literary archetype is a recurring character type, symbol, or narrative pattern found across stories and cultures—the hero's journey, the wise mentor, the trickster, the fall from innocence.
These patterns appear so consistently in myth, folklore, and literature that they seem to tap into universal human experience: The reluctant hero is one of the oldest archetypes.
Writers may consciously employ archetypes or stumble into them naturally.
- good vs. evilCore moral binary
- tricksterCunning deceiver in myth
- mentorTrusted wisdom-giving advisor
- wise old manExperienced, knowing elder
- innocentFree from moral wrong
damsel in distress · hero · chosen one · rebel · dark horse · shapeshifter · folklore · Joseph Campbell · lover · star-crossed lovers · villain · sacrifice · initiation · coming of age · ruler · shadow · fatal flaw · collective unconscious
literary archetypestereotype
Fixed oversimplified notion
stock character · cliché · flat character · cardboard cutout · trope