Nothing new in this world...

[deathpixie]

There are only seven basic story plots.

[wo]man vs. nature
[wo]man vs. man
[wo]man vs. the environment
[wo]man vs. machines/technology
[wo]man vs. the supernatural
[wo]man vs. self
[wo]man vs. god/religion


Discuss.

Comments

[resplendissante.livejournal.com]

I'm currently writing on postmodern knowledge theory, so how about: How we construct these binaries is more interesting than the binaries themselves. What is nature? How do we define man AGAINST nature, and why is that telling about certain aspects of literature? What power structure is inherent, and what power structure is being challenged, when man and nature clash? and etc.

Then everyone hits me, probably until I die or at least stop talking. No, I actually think that's fairly correct, but it misses a lot of the complexities of those ENORMOUS concepts.

[resplendissante.livejournal.com]

Oh, oh, and also! Given that these are (for the most part) societal constructions of reality, it would stand to reason that every time they were re-interpreted as the constructions changed (think... oh, I don't know, "God" two hundred years ago, versus "God" now), the plots changed too. Making them infinite, rather than limited. :)