[UA] Seven basic Stories (was Archetype complexes (Was: Kevin Matchstick))

[Cassady Toles]

On Thu, 21 Jun 2001 08:38:54 -0500, ua at lists.uchicago.edu wrote:
  There's a seven year cycle, enacting (of course) the Seven Basic
Plotlines*
  
  *Which everone knows about but no one seems to KNOW.
  
Here's the deal with the Seven Basic Stories.  Some French guy in the 30's
in a book about how to write plays said there are seven stories.  There are
numerous variations, but only seven stories.

1.  Romance.
2.  Revenge.
3.  Mistaken Identity.
4.  Traveler in a Foriegn Land. 
5.  Wheel of fortune.
6.  Man Redeemed.
7.  The Journey.
  
There aren't seven plotlines, because there are dozens of variations on each
story.  Romance would cover Dangerous Liasons, Romeo and Juliet, and Briget
Jones' Diary.  Revenge would cover Hamlet, the story of Officer Bob, and I
spit on your grave.  Mistaken Identity would cover A comedy of Errors, the
Little Dictator, and The return of Martin Guerre.  Traveller in a foriegn
land would cover The Illiad (but not the oddesy), Full Metal Jacket, and
Crocodile Dundee.  Wheel of Fortune is an outmoded concept about a man who
does something wrong to gain power, and gains power only to lose it, but it
would still cover Macbeth, Traffic, Dr. Faustus (Marlowe) and most cop
movies where a cop takes down some important criminal figure, a christmas
carol would also be a wheel of fortune story, but a non-tragic one.  Man
Redeemed would cover Faust (by Goete), the Tempest, and Con Air.  The
Journey is the tale of going to the other place but the story told isn't of
the end it is of the travel, examples would include The Oddessy, Exodus,
Ishtar, and Overnight delivery.

Those are the seven stories.  Seven plotlines is a misnomer from people not
understanding how broad the seven stories are.

So if the IC somehow caused the seven stories to be relived, they could be
relived differently each times, sometimes harmlessly, sometimes justly, and
sometimes tragically.  The cabal would be trying to create more happy
endings.

Cassady Toles
B.A. Theatre and Performance Theory

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"I am the messiah in the bottom of a bottle of Jack Daniel's.  Drink of me
and
no peace." -- Cobra Baghdad www.peoplehateme.com
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