List of female stock characters
Encyclopedia
A stock character
is a dramatic or literary character representing a type in a conventional manner and recurring in many works. The following list labels some of these fictional female archetype
s and stereotype
s, providing distinctive examples.
Andrew Griffin, Helen Ostovich, and Holger Schott Syme explain further that "Female stock characters also permit a close level of audience identification; this is true most of all in The Troublesome Raigne , where the 'weeping woman' type is used to dramatic advantage. This stock character provides pathos as yet another counterpoint to the plays' comic business and royal pomp."
Tara Brabazon discusses how the "school ma'am on the colonial frontier has been a stock character of literature and film in Australia and the United States. She is an ideal foil for the ill mannered, uncivilised hero. In American literature and film, the spinster from East - generally Boston - has some stock attributes. Polly Welts Kaufman shows that 'her genteel poverty, unbending morality, education, and independent ways make her character a useful foil for the two
other female stock characters in Western literature: the prostitute with the heart of gold and the long-suffering farmer's wife.'"
s play off of popular stereotypes of women (e. g. innocence, helplessness, etc.,) or, more recently, attempts to break these stereotypes (e. g. women's rights, feminism, etc.)
or young adult
, often the black sheep
of the family and a sort of outcast
in school. Her preferences in music, fashion, or lifestyle are unconventional or non-mainstream
. The Bad Girl/Rebel is loud or obnoxious, and is not afraid to stand out in a crowd, an individual who does not care much about what anyone else thinks.
A version of the "bad girl" is the good "bad" girl, "that stock character of popular fiction, who despite appearances and circumstances, proves virtuous in the end."
or Bimbo
, often also an ingenue, but may be simply unintelligent but attractive, or a very popular girl in school. Could also be just plain silly/comic relief/
or Tart with a heart is a young, attractive sex worker
who, despite her lowly status in life, is a world-wise and compassionate person.
, a sweet, beautiful, and virginal maiden,
in mental or emotional rather than physical danger, often appears as a target of The Cad. Visual media often portray the ingenue as a fawn
-eyed innocent.
An alternative literary nurse stereotype appears in Dickens
' Martin Chuzzlewit
: Sairey Gamp
as the incompetent and exploitative hired nursing attendant.
is a female character who is “one of the guys”, the Tomboy is generally "independent" and displays superior physical or athletic prowess and/or is able to relate more with males in terms of interests. Because of her attitude, interests or activities, the Tomboy is sometimes, though not always, a Pretty Ugly Girl. The Tomboy exhibits a deep-seated or transient envy of more feminine girls, usually when confronted by a boy she likes; others try to find a balance between their boyishness and some degree of femininity, with varying results. Michelle Ann Abate explains that "tomboys became fixtures in adventure novels about the 'Wild West' that were geared for boys. From Prentiss Ingraham
's Crimson Kate, the Girl Trailer (1881) to Edward Wheeler's Deadwood Dick/Calamity Jane series (1877-1885), a rootin'-tootin' tomboy who roped, rode, and 'ranged became a stock character." Michael R. Stevenson notes that "the tomboy heroine...has persisted as a stock character in American children's books."
Stock character
A Stock character is a fictional character based on a common literary or social stereotype. Stock characters rely heavily on cultural types or names for their personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics. In their most general form, stock characters are related to literary archetypes,...
is a dramatic or literary character representing a type in a conventional manner and recurring in many works. The following list labels some of these fictional female archetype
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
s and stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s, providing distinctive examples.
Academic analysis
According to E. Graham McKinley, "there is general agreement on the importance to drama of 'stock' characters. This notion has been considerably explored in film theory, where feminists have argued, female stock characters are only stereotypes (child/woman, whore, bitch, wife, mother, secretary or girl Friday, career women, vamp, etc.)." Thus, the subject of female stock characters has attracted scholarly attention as seen in the work of Ulrike Roesler and Jayandra Soni whose work deals "not only with female stock characters in the sense of typical roles in the dramas, but also with other female persons in the area of the theatrical stage..."Andrew Griffin, Helen Ostovich, and Holger Schott Syme explain further that "Female stock characters also permit a close level of audience identification; this is true most of all in The Troublesome Raigne , where the 'weeping woman' type is used to dramatic advantage. This stock character provides pathos as yet another counterpoint to the plays' comic business and royal pomp."
Tara Brabazon discusses how the "school ma'am on the colonial frontier has been a stock character of literature and film in Australia and the United States. She is an ideal foil for the ill mannered, uncivilised hero. In American literature and film, the spinster from East - generally Boston - has some stock attributes. Polly Welts Kaufman shows that 'her genteel poverty, unbending morality, education, and independent ways make her character a useful foil for the two
other female stock characters in Western literature: the prostitute with the heart of gold and the long-suffering farmer's wife.'"
Definitions of examples
This is a list of stereotypical female characters. These stock characterStock character
A Stock character is a fictional character based on a common literary or social stereotype. Stock characters rely heavily on cultural types or names for their personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics. In their most general form, stock characters are related to literary archetypes,...
s play off of popular stereotypes of women (e. g. innocence, helplessness, etc.,) or, more recently, attempts to break these stereotypes (e. g. women's rights, feminism, etc.)
Bad Girl/Rebel
The Bad Girl/Rebel is often an antagonist, the female counterpart of the Bad Boy. The Bad Girl/Rebel is usually a troubled and rebellious adolescentAdolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
or young adult
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
, often the black sheep
Black sheep
In the English language, black sheep is an idiom used to describe an odd or disreputable member of a group, especially within a family. The term has typically been given negative implications, implying waywardness...
of the family and a sort of outcast
Social stigma
Social stigma is the severe disapproval of or discontent with a person on the grounds of characteristics that distinguish them from other members of a society.Almost all stigma is based on a person differing from social or cultural norms...
in school. Her preferences in music, fashion, or lifestyle are unconventional or non-mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
. The Bad Girl/Rebel is loud or obnoxious, and is not afraid to stand out in a crowd, an individual who does not care much about what anyone else thinks.
A version of the "bad girl" is the good "bad" girl, "that stock character of popular fiction, who despite appearances and circumstances, proves virtuous in the end."
Dumb Blonde
The Dumb BlondeDumb blonde
The blonde stereotype, the stereotypical perception of blond-haired women, has two aspects. On one hand, over the history, blonde hair in women has been considered attractive and desirable...
or Bimbo
Bimbo
Bimbo, in its popular English language usage, describes a woman who is physically attractive but is perceived to have a low intelligence or poor education. The term can also be used to describe a woman who acts in a sexually promiscuous manner...
, often also an ingenue, but may be simply unintelligent but attractive, or a very popular girl in school. Could also be just plain silly/comic relief/
Hooker with a Heart of Gold
The Hooker With a Heart of GoldHooker with a heart of gold
The hooker with a heart of gold is a stock character in which a "fallen woman", usually a prostitute, is a kindly and internally wholesome person.-Characteristics:...
or Tart with a heart is a young, attractive sex worker
Sex worker
A sex worker is a person who works in the sex industry. The term is usually used in reference to those in the sex industry that actually provide such sexual services, as opposed to management and staff of such industries...
who, despite her lowly status in life, is a world-wise and compassionate person.
- T. J. Wray writes, "From Bianca in Shakespeare's Othello to Vivian from (played by Julia Roberts) the 1990 film Pretty Woman, the hooker with a heart of gold is a common stock character in literature, poetry, and film."
Ingénue
The IngénueIngenue (stock character)
See also Disingenuous, which is not quite the antonym that it may seem!The ingénue is a stock character in literature, film, and a role type in the theatre; generally a girl or a young woman who is endearingly innocent and wholesome. Ingenue may also refer to a new young actress or one typecast in...
, a sweet, beautiful, and virginal maiden,
in mental or emotional rather than physical danger, often appears as a target of The Cad. Visual media often portray the ingenue as a fawn
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
-eyed innocent.
- Christine DaaéChristine DaaéChristine Daaé is the main female character in Gaston Leroux's novel The Phantom of the Opera , the young singer with whom the main character Erik, the Phantom of the Opera falls in love.- Character history :...
in The Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the OperaLe Fantôme de l'Opéra is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialisation in "Le Gaulois" from September 23, 1909 to January 8, 1910... - JemimaJemima (cat)Jemima is a principal character in the musical play Cats, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber using the poetry of T. S. Eliot. She is the youngest member of the tribe of Cats, the voice of innocence and wonder.-Character:...
in the musical CatsCats (musical)Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
Nurse
The Nurse is typically a woman who finds the hero or villain injured, and nurses him back to health. She falls in love with him, but will never have her love returned because of his love for another or his plans for conquest. According to University of North Carolina Philological Club, "As a rule the nurse is but a stock character, common to all plays."An alternative literary nurse stereotype appears in Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' Martin Chuzzlewit
Martin Chuzzlewit
The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit is a novel by Charles Dickens, considered the last of his picaresque novels. It was originally serialized between 1843-1844. Dickens himself proclaimed Martin Chuzzlewit to be his best work, but it was one of his least popular novels...
: Sairey Gamp
Sarah Gamp
Sarah or Sairey Gamp was a nurse in the novel Martin Chuzzlewit, written by Charles Dickens and first published as a serial in 1843–1884. She was dissolute and drunk and became a notorious stereotype of the bad secular nurse in the early Victorian era, before the reforms of campaigners like...
as the incompetent and exploitative hired nursing attendant.
Tomboy
The TomboyTomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
is a female character who is “one of the guys”, the Tomboy is generally "independent" and displays superior physical or athletic prowess and/or is able to relate more with males in terms of interests. Because of her attitude, interests or activities, the Tomboy is sometimes, though not always, a Pretty Ugly Girl. The Tomboy exhibits a deep-seated or transient envy of more feminine girls, usually when confronted by a boy she likes; others try to find a balance between their boyishness and some degree of femininity, with varying results. Michelle Ann Abate explains that "tomboys became fixtures in adventure novels about the 'Wild West' that were geared for boys. From Prentiss Ingraham
Prentiss Ingraham
Colonel Prentiss Ingraham was a Colonel in the Confederate Army, a professional military officer throughout the 1860s and a fiction writer.-Biography:...
's Crimson Kate, the Girl Trailer (1881) to Edward Wheeler's Deadwood Dick/Calamity Jane series (1877-1885), a rootin'-tootin' tomboy who roped, rode, and 'ranged became a stock character." Michael R. Stevenson notes that "the tomboy heroine...has persisted as a stock character in American children's books."