Master Plots

An attempt to enumerate the Ur-plots...

What qualifies a plot as a Master Plot? Hard to say. Let's take Tobias' list as a kicking off point. He contends there are twenty basic stories. Any of these can be used in genre.


 * 1) Quest
 * 2) Adventure
 * 3) Pursuit
 * 4) Rescue
 * 5) Escape
 * 6) The Riddle
 * 7) Rivalry
 * 8) Underdog (Snyder calls this "The Fool Triumphant")
 * 9) Temptation
 * 10) Metamorphosis
 * 11) Transformation
 * 12) Maturation
 * 13) Love
 * 14) Forbidden Love
 * 15) Sacrifice
 * 16) Discovery
 * 17) Wretched Excess
 * 18) Vengeance
 * 19) Ascension
 * 20) Descension

''from: Tobias, Ronald B. 20 Master Plots. Cincinnati: Writer's Digest Books, 1993. (ISBN 0-89879-595-8)''

Compare Booker's The Seven Basic Plots and Snyder's Ten Movie Plots.