Editing Character (arts) (section)

=== Archetypes and stock characters ===
[[File:Patrick Grant's Jungian View of LOTR.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|Literary scholar Patrick Grant matches characters from ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' with Jungian archetypes.<ref name="Grant 1973">{{cite journal|last=Grant|first=Patrick|date=1973|title=Tolkien: Archetype and Word|url=https://crosscurrents.org/tolkien.htm#_ednref9|journal=Cross Currents|issue=Winter 1973|pages=365–380}}</ref>]]
An author can create a character using the basic character [[archetype]]s which are common to many cultural traditions: the [[father figure]], mother figure, [[hero]], and so on. Some writers make use of [[Jungian archetypes|archetypes]] as presented by [[Carl Jung]] as the basis for character traits.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Hauke|first1=Christopher|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qbt3Kjd3nMYC|title=Jung and Film|last2=Alister|first2=Ian|date=2001|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-1-58391-132-7|language=en}}</ref> Generally, when an archetype from some system (such as Jung's) is used, elements of the story also follow the system's expectations in terms of [[Plot (narrative)|storyline]].

An author can also create a fictional character using generic [[stock character]]s, which are generally flat. They tend to be used for [[Supporting character|supporting]] or minor characters. However, some authors have used stock characters as the starting point for building richly detailed characters, such as [[Shakespeare|William Shakespeare]]'s use of the boastful soldier character as the basis for [[Falstaff|John Falstaff]].

Some authors create [[Aptronym|charactonyms]] for their characters. A charactonym is a name that implies the psychological makeup of the person, makes an allegorical allusion, or makes reference to their appearance. For example, Shakespeare has an emotional young male character named [[Mercutio]], John Steinbeck has a kind, sweet character named Candy in ''[[Of Mice and Men]]'', and Mervyn Peake has a Machiavellian, manipulative, and murderous villain in ''[[Gormenghast (series)|Gormenghast]]'' named [[Steerpike]]. The charactonym can also indicate appearance. For example, François Rabelais gave the name [[Gargantua]] to a giant, and the huge whale in ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'' (1940) is named [[Monstro]].