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Q&A Term for stereotype stories

The answer depends on the work's intent. If the characters are thinly characterized and stereotyped because the work's main attraction is a sensationalist plot crammed with dramatic events, then w...

posted 8y ago by Chris Sunami‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Answer
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T04:47:49Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/19780
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar Chris Sunami‭ · 2019-12-08T04:47:49Z (over 4 years ago)
The answer depends on the work's intent. If the characters are thinly characterized and stereotyped because the work's main attraction is a sensationalist plot crammed with dramatic events, then we call this a **melodrama.** [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melodrama) reports that a Professor Ben Singer has identified "moral polarization" as one of the key elements of melodrama.

On the other hand, if the characters are presented as contrasting moral opposites because they are intended to illustrate some larger philosophical idea, we call this an **[allegory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory).** A famous example is John Bunyon's _[Pilgrim's Progress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pilgrim%27s_Progress)_, where nearly every character personifies some virtue or sin.

EDIT: Based on your comments to your original post, I would note that _Star Wars_ is basically a fairy tale, populated with archetypal characters. This style is sometimes called **[mythopoeic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythopoeia)** (sometimes rendered as "mythopoetic"). As far as _Indiana Jones_, I'm not sure it matches the request --the bad characters may be extremely villainous, but the good characters aren't exactly saintly...

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2015-11-19T14:49:18Z (over 8 years ago)
Original score: 6