The Seven Basic Plots

Author : Christopher Booker
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 737 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2005-11-11
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9781441116512

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The Seven Basic Plots by Christopher Booker Pdf

This remarkable and monumental book at last provides a comprehensive answer to the age-old riddle of whether there are only a small number of 'basic stories' in the world. Using a wealth of examples, from ancient myths and folk tales via the plays and novels of great literature to the popular movies and TV soap operas of today, it shows that there are seven archetypal themes which recur throughout every kind of storytelling. But this is only the prelude to an investigation into how and why we are 'programmed' to imagine stories in these ways, and how they relate to the inmost patterns of human psychology. Drawing on a vast array of examples, from Proust to detective stories, from the Marquis de Sade to E.T., Christopher Booker then leads us through the extraordinary changes in the nature of storytelling over the past 200 years, and why so many stories have 'lost the plot' by losing touch with their underlying archetypal purpose. Booker analyses why evolution has given us the need to tell stories and illustrates how storytelling has provided a uniquely revealing mirror to mankind's psychological development over the past 5000 years. This seminal book opens up in an entirely new way our understanding of the real purpose storytelling plays in our lives, and will be a talking point for years to come.

Author : Georges Polti
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 220 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 1917
Category : Drama
ISBN : HARVARD:32044018805390

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The Thirty-six Dramatic Situations by Georges Polti Pdf

Author : John Yorke
Publisher : Penguin UK
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2013-04-04
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781846146442

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Into The Woods by John Yorke Pdf

Into The Woods is a revelation of the fundamental structure and meaning of all stories, from the man responsible for more hours of drama on British television than anyone else, John Yorke. We all love stories. Many of us love to tell them, and even dream of making a living from it too. But what is a story? Hundreds of books about screenwriting and storytelling have been written, but none of them ask 'Why?' Why do we tell stories? And why do all stories function in an eerily similar way? John Yorke has been telling stories almost his entire adult life, and the more he has done it, the more he has asked himself why? Every great thinker or writer has their theories: Aristotle, David Hare, Lajos Egri, Robert McKee, Gustav Freytag, David Mamet, Christopher Booker, Charlie Kaufman, William Goldman and Aaron Sorkin - all have offered insightful and illuminating answers. Here, John Yorke draws on these figures and more as he takes us on a historical, philosophical, scientific and psychological journey to the heart of all storytelling. What he reveals is that there truly is a unifying shape to narrative - one that echoes the great fairytale journey into the woods, and one, like any great art, that comes from deep within. Much more than a 'how to write' book, Into the Woods is an exploration of this fundamental structure underneath all narrative forms, from film and television to theatre and novel-writing. With astonishing detail and wisdom, John Yorke explains to us a phenomenon that, whether it is as a simple fable, or a big-budget 3D blockbuster, most of us experience almost every day of our lives.

Author : Jane Smiley
Publisher : Faber & Faber
Page : 469 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2014-08-14
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 9780571317684

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Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel by Jane Smiley Pdf

A Pulitzer Prize-winning author's revelatory celebration of the novel - at once an anatomy of the art of fiction, a guide for readers and writers and a memoir of literary life. Over her 20 year career, Jane Smiley has written many kinds of novels - mystery, comedy, historical fiction, epic. But when her impulse to write faltered after 9/11, she decided to approach novels from a different angle: she read 100 of them, from the 1000-year-old Tale of Genji to the recent bestseller White Teeth by Zadie Smith, from classics to little-known gems. With these books and her experience of reading them as her reference, Smiley discusses the pleasure of reading; why a novel succeeds - or doesn't; and how the form has changed over time. She delves into the character of the novelist and reveals how (and which) novels have affected her own life.

Author : William Foster Harris
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 119 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 1981
Category : Fiction
ISBN : OCLC:234220489

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The Basic Patterns of Plot by William Foster Harris Pdf

Author : Larry Brooks
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2011-01-27
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781599632810

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Story Engineering by Larry Brooks Pdf

What makes a good story or a screenplay great? The vast majority of writers begin the storytelling process with only a partial understanding where to begin. Some labor their entire lives without ever learning that successful stories are as dependent upon good engineering as they are artistry. But the truth is, unless you are master of the form, function and criteria of successful storytelling, sitting down and pounding out a first draft without planning is an ineffective way to begin. Story Engineering starts with the criteria and the architecture of storytelling, the engineering and design of a story--and uses it as the basis for narrative. The greatest potential of any story is found in the way six specific aspects of storytelling combine and empower each other on the page. When rendered artfully, they become a sum in excess of their parts. You'll learn to wrap your head around the big pictures of storytelling at a professional level through a new approach that shows how to combine these six core competencies which include: • Four elemental competencies of concept, character, theme, and story structure (plot) • Two executional competencies of scene construction and writing voice The true magic of storytelling happens when these six core competencies work together in perfect harmony. And the best part? Anyone can do it!

Author : John Truby
Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Page : 405 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2008-10-14
Category : Performing Arts
ISBN : 9781429923705

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The Anatomy of Story by John Truby Pdf

John Truby is one of the most respected and sought-after story consultants in the film industry, and his students have gone on to pen some of Hollywood's most successful films, including Sleepless in Seattle, Scream, and Shrek. The Anatomy of Story is his long-awaited first book, and it shares all of his secrets for writing a compelling script. Based on the lessons in his award-winning class, Great Screenwriting, The Anatomy of Story draws on a broad range of philosophy and mythology, offering fresh techniques and insightful anecdotes alongside Truby's own unique approach for how to build an effective, multifaceted narrative. Truby's method for constructing a story is at once insightful and practical, focusing on the hero's moral and emotional growth. As a result, writers will dig deep within and explore their own values and worldviews in order to create an effective story. Writers will come away with an extremely precise set of tools to work with—specific, useful techniques to make the audience care about their characters, and that make their characters grow in meaningful ways. They will construct a surprising plot that is unique to their particular concept, and they will learn how to express a moral vision that can genuinely move an audience. The foundations of story that Truby lays out are so fundamental they are applicable—and essential—to all writers, from novelists and short-story writers to journalists, memoirists, and writers of narrative non-fiction.

Author : Ronald Tobias
Publisher : Writer's Digest Books
Page : 244 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2003-01-17
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 1582972397

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20 Master Plots by Ronald Tobias Pdf

Give your story a solid foundation - a plot that engages readers from start to finish! &break;&break;The best stories linger in the hearts and minds of readers for decades. These tales gain their power through plots that connect with the audience on both an emotional and intellectual level. &break;&break;Inside, Ronald B. Tobias details these 20 time-tested plots. Each is discussed and analyzed, illustrating how a successful plot integrates all the elements of a story. Tobias then shows you how to use these plots effectively in your own work. &break;&break;Tobias then goes to the next level, showing you how to choose and develop plot in fiction. He shows you how to craft plot for any subject matter, so that you develop your work evenly and effectively. As a result, your fiction will be more cohesive and convincing, making your story unforgettable for readers everywhere.

Author : Ronald Tobias
Publisher : Writers Digest Books
Page : 282 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 1993-09-15
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : UOM:39015029112961

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20 Master Plots and How to Build Them by Ronald Tobias Pdf

This book shows the reader how to take timeless storytelling structures and make them immediate, now, for fiction that's universal in how it speaks to the reader's heart and contemporary in detail and impact.Each chapter includes brief excerpts and descriptions of fiction from many times, many genres - myth and fairy tale, genre and mainstream fiction, film plots of all types, short story and novel.Find 20 fundamental plots that recur through all fiction - with analysis and examples - that outline benefits and warnings, for writers to adapt and elaborate in their own fiction.Ronald B. Tobias has spent his career as a writer moving from genre to genre, first as a short story writer, then as an author of fiction and nonfiction books and finally as a writer and producer of documentaries for public television. He is currently a professor in the Department of Media and Theatre Arts at Montana State University and the author of the Insider's Guide to Writing for Screen and Television. He lives in Bozeman, Montana.

Author : Chris Colfer
Publisher : Little Brown Bks Young Readers
Page : 228 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 2012-07-17
Category : Juvenile Fiction
ISBN : 9781405517911

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The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer Pdf

Alex and Conner Bailey's world is about to change. When the twins' grandmother gives them a treasured fairy-tale book, they have no idea they're about to enter a land beyond all imagining: the Land of Stories, where fairy tales are real. But as Alex and Conner soon discover, the stories they know so well haven't ended in this magical land - Goldilocks is now a wanted fugitive, Red Riding Hood has her own kingdom, and Queen Cinderella is about to become a mother! The twins know they must get back home somehow. But with the legendary Evil Queen hot on their trail, will they ever find the way? The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell brings readers on a thrilling quest filled with magic spells, laugh-out-loud humour and page-turning adventure.

Author : Martin Sykes,A. Nicklas Malik,Mark D. West
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 274 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2012-10-02
Category : Computers
ISBN : 9781118424001

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Stories that Move Mountains by Martin Sykes,A. Nicklas Malik,Mark D. West Pdf

Learn how to use stories and visuals to make top–notch presentations It′s called CAST (Content, Audience, Story, & Tell) and it′s been a quiet success, until now. Developed over a twelve year period as a presentation method to help Enterprise Architects, it was adopted by Microsoft Enterprise Architecture teams and filtered from IT managers to Sales, and beyond to major organizations around the world. Now, thanks to this unique book from an expert author team that includes two Microsoft presentation experts, you can learn how to use this amazing process to create and make high–impact presentations in your own organization. The book helps you build complete visual stories, step by step, by using the CAST method to first create a Story Map and from there, a compelling presentation. It includes sample Story Maps, templates, practical success stories, and more. You′ll discover how to go beyond PowerPoint slides to create presentations that influence your peers and effect change. Explains the secrets of making presentations and effecting change using CAST to create Story Maps and from there, high–impact and visual presentations that tell a story Covers how to apply a range of techniques and what the results look like, using screenshots of presentations, one page hand outs, and basic delivery with whiteboards Coauthored by Microsoft experts and a visual design guru who have years of experience training professionals in these methods Includes sample Story Maps, templates, practical success stories, and more Learn how to sell your ideas and trigger change in your company with Stories That Move Mountains: Storytelling and Visual Design for Persuasive Presentations.

Author : Norton Juster
Publisher : Yearling
Page : 274 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 1988-10-12
Category : Juvenile Fiction
ISBN : 9780394820378

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The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster Pdf

With almost 5 million copies sold 60 years after its original publication, generations of readers have now journeyed with Milo to the Lands Beyond in this beloved classic. Enriched by Jules Feiffer’s splendid illustrations, the wit, wisdom, and wordplay of Norton Juster’s offbeat fantasy are as beguiling as ever. “Comes up bright and new every time I read it . . . it will continue to charm and delight for a very long time yet. And teach us some wisdom, too.” --Phillip Pullman For Milo, everything’s a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he’s got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem different. Milo visits the Island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping), learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason. Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing. Life is far from dull. In fact, it’s exciting beyond his wildest dreams!

Author : Christopher Booker
Publisher : Random House (UK)
Page : 392 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 1992
Category : England
ISBN : UCAL:B4401119

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The Neophiliacs by Christopher Booker Pdf

Around the mid-1950s, on a wave of technological advances, Western civilisation moved into a period of prosperity dwarfing anything that had ever gone before. How golden was this age of affluence? How did it come to spawn a legend?

Author : Wycliffe Aber Hill
Publisher : Dissertations-G
Page : 112 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 1978
Category : Performing Arts
ISBN : STANFORD:36105005481721

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Ten Million Photoplay Plots by Wycliffe Aber Hill Pdf

Author : Christopher Vogler
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 510 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2020
Category : Performing Arts
ISBN : 1615933158

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The Writer's Journey - 25th Anniversary Edition by Christopher Vogler Pdf

Originally an influential memo Vogler wrote for Walt Disney Animation executives regarding The Lion King, The Writer's Journey details a twelve-stage, myth-inspired method that has galvanized Hollywood's treatment of cinematic storytelling. A format that once seldom deviated beyond a traditional three-act blueprint, Vogler's comprehensive theory of story structure and character development has met with universal acclaim, and is detailed herein using examples from myths, fairy tales, and classic movies. This book has changed the face of screenwriting worldwide over the last 25 years, and continues to do so.