CharacterIntermediate
Archetype
A recurring character pattern recognised across stories.
Principle
Archetypes are scaffolds; they require flesh to live.
Takeaways
- An archetype gives the reader fast orientation.
- Stopping at the archetype produces the stereotype.
- Subverting an archetype only works if the original was felt.
Overview
An archetype is a recurring character role — mentor, trickster, threshold guardian, shadow — that readers recognise across narratives. They simplify recognition and risk flattening individuality if not particularised.
Examples
- An old mentor whose wisdom is also a wound.
- A trickster whose chaos exposes the social order.
- A shadow self who is the protagonist's refused future.