Hello again,
Trying to finish off the study of JA, here is another quote in which I don't understand the phrase 'stock character':
'Austen has deliberately and obviously made Mr Wickham a stock character in order to point to Elizabeth's central moral weakness, that she does not take life seriously.'
I have a feeling it is a common literary phrase, but I can't really see what it means. Is it like a foil? This supposition seems hardly acceptable given the context: Wickham is morally weak, and he does not take life seriously, so that he can't be used as the contrary to her. It seems to go in the opposite direction judging by the sentence. I am lost...
Thanks for your help.
Trying to finish off the study of JA, here is another quote in which I don't understand the phrase 'stock character':
'Austen has deliberately and obviously made Mr Wickham a stock character in order to point to Elizabeth's central moral weakness, that she does not take life seriously.'
I have a feeling it is a common literary phrase, but I can't really see what it means. Is it like a foil? This supposition seems hardly acceptable given the context: Wickham is morally weak, and he does not take life seriously, so that he can't be used as the contrary to her. It seems to go in the opposite direction judging by the sentence. I am lost...
Thanks for your help.