: Re: What is the term for an accessible character that knows nothing? In a lot of books, movies, or TV shows, there will be a character that knows little to nothing about the subject at hand.

I've never heard an actual term for a character created only for the purpose of educating the reader, so I'll focus on #2 .

It seems like it could turn into lazy way to introduce a large amount of exposition or backstory very quickly. This kind of touches that basic rule of showing, not telling. If you cover a complicated issue by having one character explain (tell) it to another character, then I'd feel like the "no telling" rule would be broken. As a reader, if there are large chunks of exposition about x world or practice or history, my eyes glaze over. Readers (and characters) should learn organically--over time. Revealing piece by piece of a dystopian world's history or a character's tragic backstory provides a more satisfying discovery rather than a huge info-dump.

If it's vitally important for your readers to learn something, then I'd use this device sparingly. To cite your example from Back to the Future, is it very important for your reader to know exactly how flux capacitors work? Or do they just need to know that time travel is scientifically possible? To your last point, knowing your audience is also important. If their enjoyment of your work is going to greatly suffer because they have no idea to what a character is referring, then find a way to work in an explanation. But I would use this device sparingly.

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: Re: What is the term for an accessible character that knows nothing? In a lot of books, movies, or TV shows, there will be a character that knows little to nothing about the subject at hand.

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