The Significance of the Idea of Seven Basic Plots

The idea of Seven Basic Plots was introduced in Christopher Booker's book The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories (2004). Influenced by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Booker wrote this book over 34 years and explores the analysis of stories and their deeper meanings in detail. The book investigates the plots of films, novels and short stories to conclude that there are Seven Basic Plots which define the fundamentals of any stories. From defining these basic plots, Booker suggests that the recognition of the existence and acknowledgment of these plots uncovers a form of a subconscious universal language. He proposes that it is the structure of these stories that our psyche is drawn to, and this is why each story told follows one or more of these Seven Basic Plots.

Many stories begin with a 'plot before a plot', or the mini plot which is at the beginning of the overall plot, which reflects The Hero's Journey, a pattern of narrative classified by American scholar Joseph Campbell. It is believed that this pattern is reflected in drama, storytelling, myths and psychological development. Both Campbell and Booker agree that there is one character we would concern ourselves with in any type of story, no matter how many are encountered. This character is known as the hero or heroine, this is who the reader identifies with in the story and who in the "central figure that all other characters in a story take on their significance." The reader follows the hero or heroine through different parts of their journey leading to, and through, their adventure, experiencing their world pre- and post-adventure, their meetings, approaches and ordeals. This creates a relationship between the protagonist and the reader which then connects them to the story, allowing the reader to be able to relate more to the protagonists' struggles and feelings throughout their experience.

Several of the Seven Basic Plots that Booker identified involves a physical journey which the protagonist must embark upon: In 'The Quest', the protagonist sets out to find an important object or to go to a location in order to fulfil a task and to do this he or she must face many obstacles in his or her path. In 'Voyage and Return', the protagonist must travel to an unknown land, overcoming threats along the way and returning with more experience and knowledge. Others feature a sense of self achievement: The protagonist in 'Overcoming the Monster' aims to defeat an often evil or threatening force, commonly known as the antagonist. 'From Rags to Riches' illustrates a protagonist either fallen from grace with aims to gain it all back, or one who started poor with the means to become wealthy and achieve power. 'From Rags to Riches' can be considered similar to 'Rebirth', where the protagonist encounters significant events which forces him or her to change his or her ways, this often makes them a better person. The remaining two basic plots are more straightforward than the five already mentioned: 'Comedy' has a protagonist who triumphs over any problems and therefore has a cheerful or successful conclusion, whereas 'Tragedy' features a protagonist who is a villain whose death causes joy.

The Seven Basic Plots can not only apply to books and drama, but also to the majority of games. Many of these stories feature more than one of these plots, and they can cross over; the protagonist can go on a quest in order to overcome a monster in a comedic setting, or the protagonist needs to overcome a force of evil and in doing so will be reborn into a more likable and better character. The Wolf Among Us exhibits traits similar to that of the latter example.

The Wolf Among Us is a interactive graphic adventure game by Telltale Games, based on Bill Willingham's comic book series, Fables. Much like The Walking Dead, an earlier game made by the same digital developer and publisher, The Wolf Among Us includes events where the player needs to choices which will ultimately have an effect on the storyline and it's progression. In the game, the player controls Bigby Wolf, the main protagonist, who was the Big Bad Wolf in the Fable universe, before the Fables were 'glamoured' and started living in the 'mundane world' where they created a place known as Fabletown. However, in this world Bigby is the Sherriff of the town, which already suggests a connection with the 'Rebirth' plot; Bigby tries to keep the town safe but how he does this is up to the player, yet everyone remembers what he was like back in the Fable universe. The player has the ability to choose the actions that Bigby does which would make people like or dislike him more, therefore not necessarily following the 'Rebirth' Plot as well as it could do. There is a slight hint of comedy in this game, although it is through dialog and certain interactions more over gameplay. There is also elements of 'Overcoming the Monster', or evil in this case. Bigby and his deputy, Snow White, face many problems which may endanger the people of Fabletown and it is their job to overcome these dangers and protect the Fables. The evil the town faces is not necessarily known and so Bigby and Snow must embark on a mission, or 'Quest' to find out either what the wickedness is or who is behind or causing it, and then to try and solves the problems.

The ideas behind the Seven Basic Plots can be interpreted in many ways and each example could mean another or many more things to different people. How people interpret the meanings of events in games, stories or drama suggests something about the traits, opinions or thought processes of a person. For example, another person playing The Wolf Among Us may not see any comedy in the game and can only see the events so far as tragic. Although this may be the case, it is not necessarily wrong, as many games in particular would overlap the ideas of the Seven Basic Plots. It is due to the many interpretations and flexibility that developers are able to make games appeal to the mass audiences yet there is a sort of comfort for the player as they would know what they like. Some games are successful due to their ability to combine and modify the basic plots to create a twist that the player would not expect but still would be able to enjoy and relate to.

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Thewritersjourney.com, (2015). hero's journey. [online] Available at: http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero's_journey.htm [Accessed 19 Nov. 2015].

Booker, C. (2004). The seven basic plots. London: Continuum.

Schreier, J. (2015). Telltale Games Snags Walking Dead, Fables. [online] WIRED. Available at: http://www.wired.com/2011/02/telltale-games-walking-dead-fables/ [Accessed 20 Nov. 2015].