the seven basic plots

"The Seven Basic Plots" by Christopher Brooker (2004)

Illuminating study of the basic archetypes between every story ever told. What Brooker says here is that there is no more than a handful of stories at our disposal; these seven stories are constantly rehashed, and these are:

-overcoming the monster (easy enough to understand): "Dracula"

-rags to riches the protagonist wins it all, loses it, and then regains it "Jane Eyre"

-the quest "The Lord of the Rings"

-voyage and return the hero comes back a changed man/woman "Alice in Wonderland" "Candide" "Wizard of Oz"

-comedy warning, this includes romances! What matters in this genre (pronounced "gen-RAH") is that it ends well "Cinderella" "Bridget Jones's Diary" -and they lived happily ever after
You can easly guess what comes next, in the other direction...

-tragedy it ends badly for a -often originally good- protagonist with a fatal flaw or who has made a great mistake "Macbeth" "the Portrait of Dorian Gray" "the Great Gatsby"

-rebirth the protagonist becomes a better person through great trials "a Christmas Carol" "Sex Lies and Videotape" "You Know Yourself 2.0"



Remarks

Problem: as you will have probably thought for yourself, some stories draw on several basic plots! It is not uncommon for authors to mix genres, and you will often funny side-kicks in crime stories.

Consider "Twin Peaks 1989". It starts off as a overcoming the monster tale to turn into a rebirth for a number of its characters (Andy n Lucy, Bobby, Audrey), but also a tragedy for some others (Agent Cooper, Laura Palmer). A happy ending comedy can also be a rags to riches with the heroine hitting the jackpot at the end: "The Princess Diary" (aaaaaaahhhhhhh...)
Voyage and return is not a hundred miles away from rebirth; a comedy can also lead to rebirth (the protagonists see the errors of their way).


But Brooker doesn't stop there.

In his second part, he goes on to account for these seven basic constructions, and argues that they correspond to deep psychological human needs. I don't remember them precisely (it's been some time since I read it) but they are, as you would expect, to do with
seeking help, support, affection;
being guided along the way through our lives;
moral warnings for everyone to behave;
instilling respect for the law;
fostering self-belief -these sorts of things.

Sadly -in my eyes- he then blots his copy big time.
The third part of his ambitious book consists of linking these seven plots to periods in world history. I'm afraid it's complete bollix, a clear case of "a bridge too far". For shame, he was doing so well until then...
Brooking doesn't so much assign definite eras to these plots but considers that they follow logically. In other words, he falls into the Fukuyama nonsense of "The End of History". If you accept Brooker's third part, history has come to some sort of resolution, and this resolution can be portrayed by a basic plot (rebirth, I think it was).

Still, a brilliant thought-engaging work which I thoroughly recommend.

Addendum (of my own making): the question of Free Will.

Unsurprisingly, a number of stories deal with the question of what makes us human. A conclusion often arrived at is that being human means being susceptible of making mistakes -and even committing evil. We are not machines. Meaning we are neither perfect nor logical. Errare humanum est, remember?
Hence "Paradise Lost" (Satan will not accept to follow God's orders even if it means spending eternity in hell), Milton's "Aeropagitica" (in order to choose good, we must be exposed to evil), "Clockwork Orange" (you can't turn human beings into robots), "Wings of Desire" (an angel chooses to become human), "Westworld the TV series" (doesn't Maeve accept to take risks rather than follow her mission?), "1984" (Winston questions the system)...

Allez, bon week-end mina san et allez l'OL !