I have walked out in rain-and back in rain. I have outwalked the furthest city light. I have looked down the saddest city lane I have passed by the watchman on his beat And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain. An author's method of treating a character so that the character is immediately identified with a group. A character may be associated with a group through accent, food choices, style of dress, or any readily identifiable group characteristic.
Examples are the rugged cowboy, the bearded psychiatrist, and the scarred villain.
A criticism leveled at TV drama is that those who produce such dramas use outdated or negative qualities of groups to stereotype individuals. Ignoring the group's positive qualities, they perpetuate and strengthen the group's negative image in the minds of viewers. A well-known tobacco company uses the stereotype of the rugged cowboy in its cigarette ads. Ernest Hemingway's style derives, in part, from his short, powerful sentences. The style of the Declaration of Independence can be described as elegant.