Contemporary classifications of fictional characters

Example: The main character in a story, a teenager named Sally, is a very honest person. She always tries to tell the truth and consider everyone's feelings. The teacher assigns Betty to be Sally's science lab partner. Betty enjoys gossip and likes to see people's reactions, especially if it involves hurt or embarrassment.

In this example Betty is a foil.

Round Character - a well developed character who demonstrates varied and sometimes contradictory traits. Round characters are usually dynamic (change in some way over the course of a story).

Example: A character in a story named Elaine never cuts anybody a break. She tells her friends and coworkers that charity and compassion have no place in society. On the other hand, Elaine can never pass up feeding a stray kitten or puppy, and always tries to find a good home for lost or abandoned pets.

In this example Elaine is a round character.

Static Character - a character that remains primarily the same throughout a story or novel. Events in the story do not alter a static character's outlook, personality, motivation, perception, habits, etc.

Example: Bert, a bumbling salesman, never takes the time to organize his files, properly record his sales, or follow up with customers. Finally, his boss gets fed up and fires him. Bert struggles for two months to find a new sales position. During that time, his car is repossessed for nonpayment and he maxes out his credit cards. Bert finally finds a new sales position but, before a week passes, he is called into a conference with his new boss. Bert is informed he must get organized or he'll be fired. A week later the new boss fires Bert after he fails to follow up with an important customer.

In this example Bert is a static character.

Stock Character - a special kind of flat character who is instantly recognizable to most readers. Possible examples include the “ruthless businessman”, “shushing old librarian” or “dumb jock.” They are not the focus nor developed in the story.

Example: The main character in a story, Bernard, is hired by a computer company. His secretary is a blonde named Gidget, who is cute but forgetful and never gets a joke.

In this example Gidget is a stock character.

Conclusion

Although the character types are listed separately, characters may be (and often are) a combination. A foil, for example, could also be a round, flat, or even a stock character. While most protagonists in novels are dynamic (change over the course of the novel) and round, they don't have to be, especially if the novel is plot driven as opposed to character driven. It's not unheard of for a short story to feature a static protagonist.

Some character types are, by definition, opposite and cannot be considered. For example, one cannot have a character that is both flat and round, or a character that is both static and dynamic.

The terms are useful for understanding a character and his place within the story. But, in the end, it is not about how a character can be named and classified (except maybe within the confines of a literature course). As a writer, it's all about understanding the characters as you create and bring life to them for the reader.

List of sources

Literature,Criticism and Style by Steven Croft, Helen Cross (Oxford University Press)

Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms by Chris Baldick (Oxford University Press)

Christopher Vogler-The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters.

Theodore A. Rees Cheney, Writing Creative Nonfiction: Fiction Techniques for Crafting Great Nonfiction . Ten Speed Press, 2001

Cf. N. Friedman, “Point of View in Fiction: The Development of a Critical Concept”, in PMLA, 70; 1160-84. Also G. Prince (1989), 74-75.

E. M. Forster, Aspects of the Novel (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1970), 87.

A. J. Greimas, Structural Semantics (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1983), 205-6.

Gerald Prince, “Introduction to the Study of the Narratee”, in Jane P. Tompkins (ed.), Reader-Response Criticism: From Formalism to Post-Structuralism (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1981), 8

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