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91st out of 149 books
—
157 voters
The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories
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 them...more
Paperback, 736 pages
Published
January 9th 2006
by Bloomsbury Academic
(first published December 26th 2004)
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700 pages! A great deal of which is repetition of ideas and extensive plot summaries of exemplar stories throughout time, and can be skimmed. The ideas put forth in this book are appealing intuitively if ultimately unfalsifiable, and familiar if you've ever gotten into Jungian psychology or Joseph Campbell. Basically we're talking about archetypes, the psyche, and evolutionary drives; the human desire to "re"connect with "something greater," which might be god or more likely perpetuation of the...more
An absolutely infuriating book. The basic premise, that there are a limited number of basic structures to be found in narrative storytelling, is fair enough but hardly anything new. Booker makes some good connections and some of them are undeniably on-the-money. But the whole book is infected by Booker's right wing, traditionalist ideology that it becomes, as it goes along, a deeply unpleasant, reactionary read. For Booker, the ideal man is a martial warrior & the ideal woman a housewife (sa...more
11 likes · like · see review
The thing I recall most about this book was the author's feeling that something has grown askew within the 21st Century story structure...as if we can't resolve things 'the way we used to' - Post modernism? Something about storytelling inside that giant evolving universal perspective appealed. Stories are incredibly powerful. I didn't finish this book, but I cherry-picked some gold. However, I read these structural writing books and then instantly try to forget them. I don't want to feel to head...more
Perhaps you have heard that there are no new stories, there are only the retelling of old stories. Or maybe you have heard it said that there are only a small number of basic stories. Well, Christopher Booker took these statements seriously, and spent a lifetime writing his book about them and published it in 2004. He asserts in the beginning that there are only seven basic plots: Overcoming the Monster as exemplified by Beowulf and Star Wars, Rags to Riches with Joseph in the Bible and David Co...more
4 likes · like · see review
Jan 14, 2013
Joff
added it
As Harry Hill is fond of saying, "You gotta have a system!"
In this case, it's Christopher Booker, a europhobe journalist who helped found the venerable satirical magazine Private Eye in the 60s. This is Booker's life's work: a breakdown of the fundamental structure of stories to show how alike they all are. Leading us through myths, novels, poems and movies, Booker claims that all stories are basically based around seven plots, which are:
Overcoming the Monster
The Quest
Voyage and Return
Rags to Ri...more
In this case, it's Christopher Booker, a europhobe journalist who helped found the venerable satirical magazine Private Eye in the 60s. This is Booker's life's work: a breakdown of the fundamental structure of stories to show how alike they all are. Leading us through myths, novels, poems and movies, Booker claims that all stories are basically based around seven plots, which are:
Overcoming the Monster
The Quest
Voyage and Return
Rags to Ri...more
I purposefully did not research this author before finishing the book because I wanted to absorb the book on its own merit.
I loved the book, and I thoroughly enjoyed Booker's conjectures and conclusions about why humans seek meaning in their stories, and what meaning they seek. The only real flaw in the book (for me) was toward the end when he was discussing contemporary fiction... I think Booker's British experience and passionate nationalism clouded and somewhat distorted his otherwise mostly...more
I loved the book, and I thoroughly enjoyed Booker's conjectures and conclusions about why humans seek meaning in their stories, and what meaning they seek. The only real flaw in the book (for me) was toward the end when he was discussing contemporary fiction... I think Booker's British experience and passionate nationalism clouded and somewhat distorted his otherwise mostly...more
A fascinating but infuriating book which requires one to accept the premise that Jungian archetypes form the only satisfying basis for a narrative. This premise is explored through the means of numerous if partial examples from both literary and popular culture. The author's bias and erudition make this an enjoyable read and it is worth persevering to the end, however there are several annoying factual errors in the plot summaries. And Booker's despair with regard to novels and other works from...more
This book helped me do something I find excruciatingly difficult: describe my own novel. I read this book when I was trying to write back cover copy for Punch book 1: The Loribond. It was only in reading The Seven Basic Plots that I realized I had unwittingly written a comedy.
The Seven Basic Plots is a humongous tome. For a book that purports to survey all of human literature to reveal the basic driving psychology of human storytelling, it's focused on the DWMs a bit too much for me. There were...more
The Seven Basic Plots is a humongous tome. For a book that purports to survey all of human literature to reveal the basic driving psychology of human storytelling, it's focused on the DWMs a bit too much for me. There were...more
Booker's identification of the principal narrative structures underlying the best examples of stories, novels, plays and films is attractive and, seen retrospectively, intuitively right. Those seven plots (which he entitles Overcoming the Monster, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Rags to Riches, Comedy, Tragedy and Rebirth) singly or in combination naturally appear to underpin a very large proportion of the narratives Booker approves of. The first part of this mammoth study seems to triumphantly pr...more
As I round the home stretch of this book, I am awed at the scope and effort of it. For 700 pages, (and over decades of his life!) Booker's written clear, engaging prose that isn't remotely a chore to read. Even if you aren't familiar with all the stories he references, his necessary synopses are good enough that you don't get lost. Jungians will be happy - he deals a lot with archetypes.
In short, he says these are seven basic plots all stories tend to coalesce around; Overcoming the Monster, Ra...more
In short, he says these are seven basic plots all stories tend to coalesce around; Overcoming the Monster, Ra...more
This is a long read, and an academic one, but contains some fascinating points about the role of story and archetypes in society. Considering Booker put 34 years of research into writing this tome, it represents a vast amount of knowledge.
I have to say that the I disagreed with his categories of the Seven Basic Plots. I think others have done better work on genre (Blake Snyder is a personal favorite). However, the other three parts of the book all made me reconsider some of the ways I have taken...more
I have to say that the I disagreed with his categories of the Seven Basic Plots. I think others have done better work on genre (Blake Snyder is a personal favorite). However, the other three parts of the book all made me reconsider some of the ways I have taken...more
While masterful in how it breaks down the plots of stories from all over the world and all of mankind's recorded history, it has a few major flaws:
- A constant use of the phrase "of course," obnoxiously signaling the author is stating the obvious and the reader should know it already (so why write it?); a search on the Kindle edition found exactly 100 instances of the phrase
- An obsession with Jungian psychology
- A habit of looking down on anything that doesn't seem to suit the author's interest...more
- A constant use of the phrase "of course," obnoxiously signaling the author is stating the obvious and the reader should know it already (so why write it?); a search on the Kindle edition found exactly 100 instances of the phrase
- An obsession with Jungian psychology
- A habit of looking down on anything that doesn't seem to suit the author's interest...more
I didn't mean to read this book. I just wanted to know see what the seven basic plots were! But I devoured the first 300+ pages in a way that made me realize I just might read all 700. (It's just so lucid! With all this yummy discussion of well-known stories from throughout the ages, FOR all ages . . . )
The next 150 pages or so have made me increasingly uneasy, as we discuss all the ways in which stories can go "wrong"--AND what this says about their authors. Not to mention us as a society. AND...more
The next 150 pages or so have made me increasingly uneasy, as we discuss all the ways in which stories can go "wrong"--AND what this says about their authors. Not to mention us as a society. AND...more
5 likes · like · see review
May 15, 2012
Cheryl in CC NV
marked it as skimmed-reference-dnf
Read the prologue, and the reviews, and decided it's not for me, sorry. Especially as one reviewer said, 'repetitive' and 'unfalsifiable.'
Sep 15, 2009
srevans
marked it as to-read
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php...
"Christopher Booker's The Seven Basic Plots is a long book: despite being far larger than a paperback, it's on the order of War And Peace for thickness. It also gets a bit repetitive at times. But if you can slog through the material, you're rewarded with a good understanding of the title, that is, The Seven Basic Plots. You can also get a good dose of Jungian psychology to boot (Booker likes to talk about the symbolism of the masculine and feminine aspect...more
"Christopher Booker's The Seven Basic Plots is a long book: despite being far larger than a paperback, it's on the order of War And Peace for thickness. It also gets a bit repetitive at times. But if you can slog through the material, you're rewarded with a good understanding of the title, that is, The Seven Basic Plots. You can also get a good dose of Jungian psychology to boot (Booker likes to talk about the symbolism of the masculine and feminine aspect...more
THE SEVEN BASIC PLOTS by Christopher Booker is a provocative book. The basic idea is that any story can be boiled down to one of seven plots:
Overcoming the Monster
Rags to Riches
The Quest
Voyage and Return
Comedy
Tragedy
Rebirth
What is excellent about this book is the amount of learning involved and the interesting connections made between authors as disparate as Jane Austen and Luigi Pirandello. However, this is a big book at over 700 pages, and I think that part of it could have been condensed.
Like...more
Overcoming the Monster
Rags to Riches
The Quest
Voyage and Return
Comedy
Tragedy
Rebirth
What is excellent about this book is the amount of learning involved and the interesting connections made between authors as disparate as Jane Austen and Luigi Pirandello. However, this is a big book at over 700 pages, and I think that part of it could have been condensed.
Like...more
"The Seven Basic Plots Why We Tell Stories" by Christopher Booker is, at over 700 pages, overwhelming at times.
Overall, I see it more as a textbook. It goes into great detail about what he considers the seven basic plots: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth.
The book itself is divided into four parts with thirty-four chapters. There is a lot of information packed into the pages--analysis of stories, a lot of psychology, a lot of his...more
Overall, I see it more as a textbook. It goes into great detail about what he considers the seven basic plots: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth.
The book itself is divided into four parts with thirty-four chapters. There is a lot of information packed into the pages--analysis of stories, a lot of psychology, a lot of his...more
Anyone who likes reading or writing, or even some other form of storytelling (like movies for example) really owes it to themselves to read this book. This book will give you so many great new insights and you will gain a much deeper understanding and appreciation on how stories are built up. I found myself looking at stories differently than I did before.
Booker explains how all stories basically fit into one of the seven basic plots. What's more, those stories will go through the same five main...more
Booker explains how all stories basically fit into one of the seven basic plots. What's more, those stories will go through the same five main...more
Notes:
Recommendation:
* Read all of Section 1, containing descriptions of the seven basic plots in erudite detail.
* Skip to Chapters 21 through 24 of Section 3. These explore the "dark" and "sentimental" variations of the foregoing.
* Skim Chapters 26 and 27, wherein the author is revealed to be a sexist reactionary. Keep in mind that if one can enjoy the music of Frank Sinatra while ignoring the fact that he as a sexist jerk, one can read the balance of Bookings with the same forbearance.
* Either...more
Recommendation:
* Read all of Section 1, containing descriptions of the seven basic plots in erudite detail.
* Skip to Chapters 21 through 24 of Section 3. These explore the "dark" and "sentimental" variations of the foregoing.
* Skim Chapters 26 and 27, wherein the author is revealed to be a sexist reactionary. Keep in mind that if one can enjoy the music of Frank Sinatra while ignoring the fact that he as a sexist jerk, one can read the balance of Bookings with the same forbearance.
* Either...more
Frustrating.
I wanted to like this.
Like many models this can at times feel as though the facts are hammered to fit the theory.
Seems to note that each of the 7 plots is the most recognisable...they can't all be.
Also, misquotes some sources. No bibliography, which considering the point of the book seems to be a flaw.
I'll stick with Joseph Campbell and Marina Warner.
I wanted to like this.
Like many models this can at times feel as though the facts are hammered to fit the theory.
Seems to note that each of the 7 plots is the most recognisable...they can't all be.
Also, misquotes some sources. No bibliography, which considering the point of the book seems to be a flaw.
I'll stick with Joseph Campbell and Marina Warner.
When I give a book five stars, the author has earned them. Booker's work has impacted my thought life profoundly. It is inspirational indeed to read a work on which a man has spent half his life, and Booker's contribution to the literary arts ought to prove itself more worthy as it ages. In short, my reference shelf is a place of honor in my library. This book has earned a spot there.
One of my favorite quotes from the work follows.
"The only words for which no dictionary seems to provide the orig...more
One of my favorite quotes from the work follows.
"The only words for which no dictionary seems to provide the orig...more
C. Booker sets himself up to be an authority on stories, which he needs to be to get the thesis done. In one chapter, where he's describing one of the basic plot-lines, he says that Star Wars was set in our galaxy in the distant future. Now, I don't care if you're not a huge fan or not into Sci Fi, but if you've managed to ignore one of the all-time best known movie openings, and a modern piece of cultural arcana such as "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." which is essentially "Once u...more
An enormous book that reduces storytelling to seven basic starting points and illustrates each point with major works. The book then delves deeper into the way that stories have changed, their endings, for example, and surprisingly over thousands of years, the ways that they remain very much the same, and finally how human beings use stories to explore and discover humanity.
Christopher Booker, The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories. This was a
mostly overlooked book that lays out how all stories revolve around the
death/transcendence of ego. His seven stories all line up on the Tribal
Leadership scheme: Rags-to-Riches shows characters moving from stage 2 to 3;
tragedy shows stage 3 to 1, etc.
mostly overlooked book that lays out how all stories revolve around the
death/transcendence of ego. His seven stories all line up on the Tribal
Leadership scheme: Rags-to-Riches shows characters moving from stage 2 to 3;
tragedy shows stage 3 to 1, etc.
A masterwork of more than thirty year’s research into why people tell stories. Booker breaks down stories into seven archetypal themes which occur in all types of stories. Not everyone will agree with Booker, but everyone can learn from him, about reading, writing and understanding.
Must surely rank as one of the most epic and profound works of literary criticism. The breadth of his insight into the landscape of literature and its interrelation with history and the psychological shifts in man, particularly over the last 200 years, is devastating and extremely interesting.
I read the book in one sitting, powered through the sheer weight of verbiage by the force of my hatred for it.
To say there are 7 plots and they represent ways of talking about overcoming the ego is fair enough - but when he can't find a single novel that properly exemplifies these ideas, it may have been time to ditch the theory.
Instead he concludes that all authors since the romantic movement have not been emotionally mature enough to fit his theory, so it must be the author's fault. Not a faul...more
To say there are 7 plots and they represent ways of talking about overcoming the ego is fair enough - but when he can't find a single novel that properly exemplifies these ideas, it may have been time to ditch the theory.
Instead he concludes that all authors since the romantic movement have not been emotionally mature enough to fit his theory, so it must be the author's fault. Not a faul...more
I'm just re-reading parts of this. It takes the Jungian archetypes as a basis for categorising stories into seven basic types. It does seem to work, but then if you strip things down far enough then you find that all stories are about LIFE. Well, yes.
Very useful book for anyone interested in writing (or reading). I don't know that all stories can be categorized into 1 of 7 plots, but some very interesting comparisons between a wide spectrum of stories.
Sep 30, 2010
Sally
marked it as to-read-library-has
Of course I want to read a book about reading. But then, I want to enjoy (aka not predict the end of) the fiction reading I do the rest of my life, so... To read or not to read? :)
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Christopher John Penrice Booker is an English journalist and author.
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JTL
Jan 24, 2008 07:34pm
Some of this does suck; I just didn't talk about those parts in my review. Skip those and it will be great!
Jan 25, 2008 10:09am
Jul 23, 2012 05:12pm