You’ve heard the terms before, but what is the difference between an archetype and a stereotype?
First off, it’s easy to remember that generally archetype = good, stereotype = bad.
In books, an archetype is essentially a recurring symbol. An easy example is a hero. They start out in ordinary circumstances, but everything changes when they must answer the call to “adventure.” They face their darkest fears in a conflict that ultimately transforms them. Think Harry Potter or Ulysses.
Other archetypes include the sidekick (Dr. Watson, Sancho Panza), the villain (Mrs. Danvers, Hannibal Lecter), the innocent (Snow White, Anastasia Steele), and the mentor (Gandalf, Yoda).
A stereotype, on the other hand, is a character with extremely generalized character traits. Two easy examples would the “virgin” and the “vamp” – female characters defined by their sexuality, or lack thereof.
Other stereotypes include Native Americans in Little House on the Prairie, African Americans in Gone With the Wind, and so on.
There are, of course, more examples of each of these, but hopefully this gives you a good introduction to thinking about archetypes and stereotypes.
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