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Author Topic: Masterplots: An Analysis of the 20 Basic Plots  (Read 1015 times)

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Offline L. Jay Echoes

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Masterplots: An Analysis of the 20 Basic Plots
« on: June 03, 2018, 01:12:17 AM »
So I’ve been looking for a concise, succint way of summing up all of the plots described in Ronald B. Tobias’s “20 Master Plots and How to Build Them.” Tobias himself doesn’t use any template, apart from a checklist at the end. He does list a few “lowest common denominators,” but there are at least 7 of them and they get convoluted.
 
I hereby propose this more straightforward analysis of the 20 masterplots. It’s drafty and rough, but hopefully, more comprehensible than what Tobias wrote… by the way, the book itself is brilliant, I just think he’s rather disorganized in the way he describes the plots, and he uses too few examples, and I think a more solid template is in order for distinguishing between the plots.
 
Lowest common denomintators (LCD):
All is goingLowest Common Denominators:
All is going normal, until an incident interrupts the nomality of the day.
Characters attempt to return circumstances to homeostasis, but run into willful opposition.
Main characters discover an apparent way to undermine opposition, which they implement in the climax.
Afterward, the source of the initiating incident is incapacitated, and homeostasis is restored, for better or worse.
 
Incidentally, points 2 and 3 can be repeated several times throughout the story, although they must be varied somehow to avoid redundancy.
 
Characters and plot devices are denoted by capital letters in parentheses and brackets: (A), (Y), etc. I had to rewrite this because I kept accidently using code with capital B’s. I use only male pronouns for simplification purposes. In my first draft of this, I tried to write these so that they’d cover both tragedies and comedies, although I don’t think I did a neutral job. I invite all manner of corrections and suggestions so that I could make this clearer; also, if there are any plot threads you’ve seen not covered by 20 master plots, please share them.
 
I’ll post examples from movies, books, cartoon episodes, etc, so suggest those too. I won’t do anything that I haven’t seen or read, but with enough examples, I’m sure you guys won’t need me to.
 
Quest- Trouble brews in hometown. [A] learns of some remote person or artifact that will resolve trouble. He leaves home to find it, faces competition over the object, returns home with it and uses it against the opposition back home. For better or worse, the quested artifact is credited or blamed for the outcome.
Adventure – [A] is forced out of his home. He seeks new shelter and is denied welcome everywhere he goes. He then learns what it is that's making him unwelcome. He confronts it, and in the process, finds a new home.
Pursuit – [A] goes on a run. (Y) follows. [A] ends up cornered by (Y) at a dead end. [A] learns of a way to permenantly stop (Y) from follwing, (Y) to stop [A] from running. Both put their discoveries to work in the climax, and one or the other is forever incapacitated from going anywhere.
Rescue – [A] is cut off from his home community. (Y) goes off to find him. (Y) finds [A], along with some barrier stopping him from taking [A] home. (Y) falls back in a faux defeat, and discovers the thing that might set [A] free. (Y) reconfronts the barrier, reclaims [A], and returns him to home community.
Riddle - Some incident disrupts home business, and [A] looks for the cause. (Y) deliberately obfuscates the truth. Eventually, [A] stumbles across a piece of evidence that incriminates the liars. [A] presents this evidence, and, after convicting the guilty trouble-maker, the rest of the town is left to clean up the mess.
Escape – [A] is cut off from his home community. He looks for a way out, and is obstructed by (Y). He finds out a way to subdue (Y) and makes use of it. On his way back home, he runs into trouble, usually the captor trying to reclaim or outright kill him since he has seen too much. [A] escapes the captor, using the sanctuary of home community.
Transformation – (Y) invades hometown. [A] adopts (Y)'s culture in order to get on (Y)'s good side. This puts [A] at odds with native culture. (Y) wants [A] to do something against [A]'s convictions. [A] confronts either his own convictions or (Y), and [A] transforms again, for better or worse, as a result of the confrontation.
Rivalry – [A] holds a prestigeous position in his community. (Y) comes along to share said position. [A] gets stingy, (Y) is somehow able to outmatch and stake his claim. [A] attempts to undermine (Y), (Y) pushes back, leading to both falling out of favor with the public. Both then resolve to team up to reclaim their position of power. In the climax, they prove themselves qualified for their position in the face of a rattled public.
Metamorphosis: [A] is unconsentually changed by (Y). He seeks out a way to restore himself, while facing all the problems that come with his new form. In the process, he learns the way to return to his former self. (Y) interferes with the characters restoration, but [A] uses the percs of his new form to retaliate. The story ends with [A] restored.
Wretched Excess – [A] has a character flaw. (Y) comes along and forces this flaw to surface and erupt, bringing [A] to near ruin. [A] then has to redeem himself against the opposition of (Y). In the process, [A] discovers (Y)'s fatal flaw, then the two of them duke it out using the power of one another's flaws. The end sees everyone else marveling at the damage said fatal flaw leads to.
Ascension – [A] is at the butt of the food chain. He is then given the opportunity to climb up a little, and he takes it. As he does so, he watches stakes rise and responsibilities multiply. This is the opposition he faces, alongside the jealosy of his former friends. [A] finds an apparent way to placate his friends and juggle responsibilities. He puts this to use, but in the process is forced to choose between his arisen status and the happiness he wants knew. The end has him wistfully watching the dissipation of whichever he didn't choose.
Descension – [A] is given the opportunity to step down from his position of responsibility, and he takes it.  As he does so, he watches everything formerly under his watch go to waste. That, along with the disappointment of his former colleagues and peers, is the opposition he faces. He finds a way to apparently placate his former colleagues and adjust to the damage caused, though he is forced to choose between his new life and his old, and the end has him wistfully looking at whatever thing he didn't choose.
Revenge – [A] is wronged by (Y). [A] attempts to retaliate, but is overpowered by (Y). [A] lives in limbo for a while, but learns ways of overpowering (Y). [A] confronts [Y] a second time, and then enacts a successful retaliation, for better or worse.
Temptation – [A] is warned against forbidden fruit by [Y]. [A] gives in to temptation and opens up a whole 'nother can of worms. severes his ties with [A]. [A] then works to undo or compensate for the damage he caused, and in the process learns a way of earning [Y]'s forgiveness. [A] comes to [Y] with this method of forgiveness, and the story ends with hope of reconciliation alongside the reality of living with the forbidden fruit's consequences.
Sacrifice – [A] has [C]. [C] is of irreplaceable value. [A] wants [Y]. [A] cannot have [Y] without getting rid of [C]. [A] looks for a way to get [Y] without losing [C], and in the process either loses both or getting one or the other or somewhere in the middle. The story ends with a commentary of having two incompatible things.
Love – [A] meets [Y]. [A] falls in love with [Y], but both [A] and [Y] learn of inherent characteristics of the other that would get in the way of intimacy. They attempt to talk the other out of it, and get put at odds with one another. While separated, the two of them learn to see the others flaws in a new light, then return to one another to face both their own flaws and in that of their partner. The story ends with a commentary on the meaning of intimacy.
Forbidden Love – [A] falls in love with [Y]. [A]'s home community does not approve of [Y]. His home community encourages him to find love in something that they approve of. [A] plots an elopation with [Y], which leads to their discovery. The story ends with [A]'s community to either accept the loss of [A] or the annexation of [Y].
Maturation – [A] has a rose-colored view of [Y]. [Y] contradicts that view, sending [A] into limbo. [A] tries to restore his original view of [Y] by being selective of what he sees [Y] do, but [Y]'s jade shades become increasingly more obvious. [A] eventually is forced to accept and adjust to the parts of [Y] that disconcerts him.
Discovery – [A] is familiar with [Y]. [A] stumbles upon [C], that changes his view of [Y] for the worse. [A] confronts [Y], who reveals something incriminating about [C]. [A] figures the only way to resolve this is to expose his own dirty laundry. The story ends with everyone adjusting to the limits of their visionary scope.
Underdog – [A] is at the butt of the food chain. [Y] bullies [A] into a mental breakdown, and [A] decides he's not taking it lying down. [A] harnesses his own potential, then wallops [Y] when he comes back around. [Y] becomes insecure about his position of power, then goes off to workout. [A] minds his own business, all the while building up his own skills , but [Y] comes along to sabotage him again. [Y] is forced to develop auxillary skills to regain his former position of power, and then confronts [Y] a second time. [A] undermines [Y] in his chosen field of study, and the story ends with a commentary on power balances.
 
 
“Discovery” was the one I had the most trouble with. If anybody can come up with an example of a Discovary story to which my analysis does not apply, please do so so that I can revise accordingly.
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Re: Masterplots: An Analysis of the 20 Basic Plots
« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2018, 05:12:11 PM »
You know, I'm sure I've seen many stories where a protagonist is not necessarily a hero, has to come to terms with their own problems as [A] knowing [Y] and being informed of bad things about [Y] by [C], then finding out from [Y] that [C] isn't too great either. This story boils down to all [A], [C], and [Y] as being people who have not made the best choices, but only [A] has to resolve these issues. I would say a lot of stories could fall into this category on some level.
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Offline L. Jay Echoes

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Re: Masterplots: An Analysis of the 20 Basic Plots
« Reply #2 on: June 04, 2018, 11:49:45 AM »
Do you have any examples?
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Re: Masterplots: An Analysis of the 20 Basic Plots
« Reply #3 on: June 04, 2018, 03:18:23 PM »
Just reread the Discovery chapter, and I think this might describe the plot type more closely than my previous analysis:


X happens upon Y, which changes his view of himself. In his attempt to restore his ego, he discovers more unseemly traits. The experience forces him to explore Y further, and in so doing, confirming the limits of his self-knowledge.
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Re: Masterplots: An Analysis of the 20 Basic Plots
« Reply #4 on: June 14, 2018, 06:04:22 PM »
I’d like to elaborate a little further on the lowest common denominators of narrative, this time using the model from Victoria Schmidt’s 45 Master Characters. While Tobias distinguishes the plots based on theme, Schmidt analyses the actual LCD’s of two “plot journeys,” masculine and feminine (which, by the way, are not restrict the sex of the character either concerns in a given story). I haven’t read the feminine journey, so I’ll tackle it later. I was reading through Joseph Conrad’s “Youth,” trying to apply it there. During my writing/reading seasons, I shall use specific stories, and likely even call for readers to send me examples, so that I can show how it applies across the world of fiction.
 
The LCDs I listed earlier still stand; Here’s a recap to save you the trouble of navigating back to my original post:
·         Business as usual.
·         Business is disrupted
·         Characters attempt to restore homeostasis
·         The source of the disruption demonstrates its own strength and obstructs the restoration
·         Characters look for a solution to incapacitate this SoD
·         They use this solution in the climax
·         The SoD is permanently incapacitated (comedy), the main characters are permanently incapacitated (tragedy), or there’s some mixture thereof (Ededdandeddie). Anyway, something is changed permanently, even if it’s only in the mind.
 
The way I understand it, the SoD, or antagonist, isn’t necessarily a character, a living thing, or even anything concrete. It could be an idea, a memory, a law. The antagonist will almost always take concrete form; abstract ideas are not incapacitated, but they are disproven. Memories can’t be killed, but they can be reconciled. No matter what form the antagonists take, they will always conform to this template, assuming the story is consistent with itself (or at least, consistently inconsistent. I can’t wait to hear of some supposed exceptions).
 
There’s also the matter of the stakes. The stakes are always abstract, they only manifest themselves in other characters or physical objects. In Master Characters, Schmidt divides the characters foremost by sex but subcategorically by stakes. As far as I can analyze, the stakes for each individual character are as follows:
 
·         The King / The Matriarch – Authority, Social Status, Recognition
·         The Businessman / The Father’s Daughter – Professional Endeavors
·         The Protector / The Amazon – Personal Strength, Physical Ability
·         The Recluse / The Mystic – Independence, Creativity, Nomadhood
·         The Fool / The Maiden – Leisure, Social Ties
·         The Artist / The Nurturer – Social Standing, Personal Acceptance
·         The Woman’s Man / The Seductive Muse – Intimacy, Personal Charm
·         The Messiahs – Moral Standing, Ideological Supremacy
 
Obviously, this is a very condensed version of what Schmidt describes; she details their individual motivations, fears, priorities, and reputations. Usually, any given character’s role in a story will orbit around his or her stakes. For example, one of the matriarch’s priorities is to wed and run her own family. I don’t necessarily think that has to be a literal marriage; I think that, more likely, it’s a place where she can legitimately exercise her authority. Angelica Pickles’ principle character traits, for example, is that she’s constantly in control of the younger kids’ toys, she doesn’t hang out much with kids her own age because her own peer group isn’t something that she can overpower, and she doesn’t obey the adults in her life.
 
Back to my original point; the masculine journey is all about the protagonist getting in touch with his own stakes by forfeiting the thing that symbolizes it. While I’d have to give the story a few more readings to certify it, I’d say that in Conrad’s “Youth,” the stakes are the main character Charles Marlowe’s adventurous spirit, symbolized by a coal delivery to Bangkok on an ailing ship.
 
Enough beating around the bush; here are the steps in the masculine journey (Spoiler Warning):
 
·         Act I
o   The main character is about his business as usual
§  Marlowe is a 20-year-old sailor with little experience
o   He meets other characters who inspire him to pick a vocation that symbolizes the stakes
§  He meets Captain Beard and his crew, who offer him a job sailing with them to Bangkok
o   His business is disrupted in a way that cements his vocation
§  The ship gets flooded within a few days and he assists deflooding it
·         Act II
o   The main character overcomes a bit of that obstacle
§  Marlowe finds his hurried ship-manning to be exciting
o   He encounters things that temp him to give up his vocation and seek the stakes elsewhere
§  He meets Mrs. Beard, who inspires in him a bit of homesickness
o   He turns down the opportunity to give up, then faces all the challenges that come with his decision
§  The crew gives up, people scoff at the S.S. Judea, and more storms delay their voyage
·         Act III
o   His stake is taken from him, and now he must either fail trying to resurrect (tragedy) it or succeed recommitting himself to the principle behind his stakes (comedy)
§  This gets a little tricky and I’ll definitely have to revise this, because the trip to Bangkok is not what’s lost; Instead, the Judea catches fire because the coal explodes, and the crew have to salvage what goods they can for insurance reasons. I’m tempted to say that this is more Captain Beard’s journey, and that the Judea represents his Youth. This is a first-person story, however, and we get to see much more of Marlowe’s side of things. Perhaps I’ll pick a movie or a shorter story in my next example.
o   Resurrecting the Stake (since this is not a tragedy, I don’t have any examples; Hopefully, my explanation has been clear enough that I won’t actually need any):
§  The main character attempts to regain what he lost.
§  He’s forced to accept that what he lost is dead, irreparable, or unsalvageable.
o   Recommitting himself:
§  The main character looks for what he had in his stake elsewhere
·         Marlowe and Company find port and sail the rest of the way on lifeboats.
§  He finds it, and reaps the rewards that come with it
·         He’s the first to make it to Bangkok
 
If anybody has read this story and can come up with a clearer analysis, please do so. My goal here is to help struggling writers by identifying a template that can be applied universal across good fiction.
 
By the way, even bad fiction follows its own rogue template. I’ll share some examples of my early writing, and even my recent writing, to show how principles operate in narratives, good or bad.
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