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.
Bloomsbury.com, (2015). [online]
Available at:
http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/the-seven-basic-plots-9780826452092/ [Accessed
19 Nov. 2015].
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].
