Thursday 7 February 2008

The Seven Basic Plots

I've been skimming (it's a biiiig book) through 'The Seven Basic Plots - Why We Tell Stories' by Christopher Booker. I had heard of the theory before but didn't realise anyone had actually taken it this far. I've been trying to figure out which category my script for the narrative project might fall under. I guess it's kind of like 'overcoming the monster', or 'man vs machine' as other lists would have it, but in it's most basic stripped down form. My story is more just something that happens, although I guess it does have a hero of sorts.

I don't know about this theory anyway - there are others that claim five, twenty or thirty-six plots, but Booker claims that they can all be broken down to include certain elements or combinations of elements of these underlying seven ideas. It seems to sanitise it a bit as well...I'd rather just read or experience stories and be sucked into their world, regardless of where they happen to fit into this theory...

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