Years is the basis of the storyline. Plots of world literature (36 plots)

Offers several definitions of the concept “plot”. According to Ozhegov, plot in literature is the order and connection of events. Ushakov’s dictionary suggests that they be considered a set of actions, the sequence and motivation for the unfolding of what is happening in a work.

Relationship with plot

In modern Russian criticism, plot has a completely different definition. The plot in literature is understood as the course of events against the background of which the confrontation is revealed. The plot is the main artistic conflict.

However, other points of view on this issue have existed in the past and continue to exist. Russian critics mid-19th centuries, supported by Veselovsky and Gorky, considered the compositional aspect of the plot, that is, how exactly the author communicates the content of his work. And the plot in literature is, in their opinion, the actions and relationships of the characters.

This interpretation is directly opposite to that in Ushakov’s dictionary, in which the plot is the content of events in their sequential connection.

Finally, there is a third point of view. Those who adhere to it believe that the concept of “plot” has no independent meaning, and when analyzing it is quite enough to use the terms “plot”, “composition” and “plot diagram”.

Types and variants of product schemes

Modern analysts distinguish two main types of plot: chronicle and concentric. They differ from each other in the nature of the connections between events. The main factor, so to speak, is time. The chronic type reproduces its natural course. Concentric - focuses no longer on the physical, but on the mental.

Concentric plots in literature are detective stories, thrillers, social and psychological novels, dramas. Chronicle is more common in memoirs, sagas, and adventure works.

Concentric plot and its features

In the case of this type of course of events, a clear cause-and-effect relationship between the episodes can be traced. The development of the plot in literature of this type is consistent and logical. It is easy to highlight the beginning and end here. Previous actions are the causes of subsequent ones; all events seem to be pulled together into one node. The writer explores one conflict.

Moreover, the work can be either linear or multilinear - the cause-and-effect relationship is preserved just as clearly, moreover, any new storylines appear as a result of events that have already happened. All parts of a detective story, thriller or story are built on a clearly expressed conflict.

Chronicle story

It can be contrasted with concentric, although in fact there is not an opposite here, but a completely different principle of construction. These types of plots in literature can interpenetrate each other, but most often either one or the other is decisive.

The change of events in a work built on a chronicle principle is tied to time. There may be no clear connection, no strict logical cause-and-effect relationship (or at least this connection is not obvious).

In such a work we can talk about many episodes, the only thing they have in common is that they happen in chronological order. Chronicle story in literature it is a multi-conflict and multi-component canvas, where contradictions arise and fade, and one is replaced by another.

Commencement, climax, denouement

In works whose plot is based on conflict, it is essentially a scheme, a formula. It can be divided into its constituent parts. The elements of plot in literature include exposition, setup, conflict, rising action, crisis, climax, falling action, and resolution.

Of course, not all of the above elements are present in every work. More often you can find several of them, for example, plot, conflict, development of action, crisis, climax and denouement. On the other hand, it matters how exactly the work is analyzed.

The exhibition in this regard is the most static part. Its task is to introduce some of the characters and the setting of the action.

The plot describes one or more events that give rise to the main action. The development of the plot in literature goes through conflict, increasing action, crisis to climax. She is the peak of the work, playing significant role in revealing the characters' characters and in developing the conflict. The denouement adds the final touches to the story being told and to the characters.

In literature, a certain plot structure has developed, which is psychologically justified from the point of view of its influence on the reader. Each element described has its place and meaning.

If a story does not fit into the scheme, it seems sluggish, incomprehensible, and illogical. For a work to be interesting, for readers to empathize with the characters and delve into what is happening to them, everything in it must have its place and develop in accordance with these psychological laws.

Plots of ancient Russian literature

Ancient Russian literature, according to D. S. Likhachev, is “literature of one theme and one plot.” World history and meaning human life- these are the main, deep motives and themes of the writers of those times.

Subjects ancient Russian literature are revealed to us in lives, epistles, walks (descriptions of travel), chronicles. The names of the authors of most of them are unknown. According to the time interval, the Old Russian group includes works written in the 11th-17th centuries.

The diversity of modern literature

Attempts to classify and describe the plots used have been made more than once. In his book The Four Cycles, Jorge Luis Borges suggested that in world literature there are only four types:

• about search;
• about the suicide of God;
• about the long return;
• about the assault and defense of a fortified city.

Christopher Booker identified seven: rags to riches (or vice versa), adventure, there and back again (Tolkien's The Hobbit comes to mind), comedy, tragedy, resurrection and defeating the monster. Georges Polti reduced the entire experience of world literature to 36 plot collisions, and Kipling identified 69 of their variants.

Even specialists of other profiles were not left indifferent by this question. According to Jung, the famous Swiss psychiatrist and founder analytical psychology, the main plots of literature are archetypal, and there are only six of them - the shadow, the anima, the animus, the mother, the old man and the child.

Index to folk tales

Perhaps most of all, the Aarne-Thompson-Uther system “highlighted” the possibilities for writers - it recognizes the existence of approximately 2,500 options.

We are, however, talking about folklore here. This system is a directory, an index fairy tales, known to science at the time of compilation of this monumental work.

There is only one definition for the course of events here. The plot in literature of this kind looks like this: “The persecuted stepdaughter is taken into the forest and abandoned there. Baba Yaga, or Morozko, or Leshy, or 12 months, or Winter, test her and reward her. The stepmother’s own daughter also wants to receive a gift, but does not pass the test and dies.”

In fact, Aarne himself established no more than a thousand options for the development of events in the fairy tale, but he allowed for the possibility of new ones and left a place for them in his original classification. This was the first index that came into scientific use and was recognized by the majority. Subsequently, scientists from many countries made their additions to it.

In 2004, an edition of the reference book appeared, in which the descriptions of fairy-tale types were updated and made more accurate. This version of the index contained 250 new types.

The number of plots in world literature is limited. Almost every person who decides to one day take up writing is faced with this fact. And this quantity is not only limited, but also counted! There are several typologies that provide a fairly convincing answer to the question: “How many stories are there?”
For the first time, the Byzantine writer (and part-time Patriarch of Constantinople) Photius became interested in this problem, who compiled the “Myriobiblion” - a collection of brief descriptions works of ancient Greek and Byzantine authors, including ecclesiastical, secular, and historical literature.
A thousand years later, interest in this problem flared up with new strength, and now they tried to make the list of subjects as short as possible!

Jorge Luis Borges stated that there are only four plots and, accordingly, four heroes, which he described in his short story “The Four Cycles”.
1. The most old story- a story about a besieged city, which is stormed and defended by heroes. The defenders know that the city is doomed and resistance is futile. (This is a story about Troy, and the main character, Achilles, knows that he will die without seeing victory. The hero is a rebel, the very fact of whose existence is a challenge to the surrounding reality.
2. The second story is about return. The story of Odysseus, who wandered the seas for ten years in an attempt to return home. The hero of these stories is a man rejected by society, endlessly wandering in an attempt to find himself - Don Quixote, Beowulf.
3. The third story is about search. This story is somewhat similar to the second one, but in this case the hero is not an outcast and does not oppose himself to society. Most famous example such a hero is Jason, sailing for the Golden Fleece.
4. The fourth story is about the suicide of God. Atis maims and kills himself, Odin sacrifices himself to Odin, himself, hanging on a tree for nine days, nailed with a spear, Roman legionnaires crucify Christ. The hero of the “death of the gods” - losing or gaining faith, in search of faith - Zarathustra, Bulgakov’s Master, Bolkonsky.

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Christopher Booker, in his book “The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories,” described, as one might guess, seven basic plots on which, in his opinion, all books in history are written. world.
1. “From rags to riches” - the name speaks for itself, the most striking example, familiar to everyone from childhood, is Cinderella. Heroes - ordinary people who discover something unusual in themselves, thanks to their own efforts or by coincidence, find themselves “at the top.”
2. “Adventure” - a difficult journey in search of an elusive goal. According to Booker, both Odysseus and Jason fall into this category, and also King Solomon's Mines and Around the World in Eighty Days fall into this category.
3. "There and back." The plot is based on the hero’s attempt, torn out from his usual world, to return home. In Booker’s interpretation, these are “Robinson Crusoe”, and “Alice Through the Looking Glass”, and many others.
4. "Comedy" - Certain Kind a plot that develops according to its own rules. All Jane Austen novels fall into this category.
5. “Tragedy” - the culmination is the death of the main character due to some character flaws, usually love passion or thirst for power. These are, first of all, Macbeth, King Lear and Faust.
6. “Resurrection” - the hero is under the power of a curse or dark forces, and a miracle brings him out of this state. A striking example This plot is about Sleeping Beauty, awakened by the kiss of the prince.
7. “Victory over the Monster” - from the title it is clear what the plot is - the hero fights the monster, defeats him and receives a “prize” - treasures or love. Examples: Dracula, David and Goliath

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But the most sensational was the list of plots compiled by playwright Georges Polti, which included thirty-six points (by the way, the number thirty-six was first proposed by Aristotle and much later supported by Victor Hugo). Polti's thirty-six plots and themes cover mainly drama and tragedy. There was controversy around this list, it was repeatedly criticized, but almost no one tried to protest the number 36 itself.

1. PRAYER. Elements of the situation: 1) the pursuer, 2) the persecuted and begging for protection, help, shelter, forgiveness, etc., 3) the force on which it depends to provide protection, etc., while the force does not immediately decide to protect , hesitant, unsure of herself, which is why you have to beg her (thereby increasing emotional impact situations), the more she hesitates and hesitates to provide help. Examples: 1) a person fleeing begs someone who can save him from his enemies, 2) begs for shelter in order to die in it, 3) a shipwrecked person asks for shelter, 4) asks those in power for dear, close people, 5) asks for one a relative for another relative, etc.
2. RESCUE. Elements of the situation: 1) unfortunate, 2) threatening, persecuting, 3) savior. This situation differs from the previous one in that there the persecuted person resorted to hesitant force, which had to be begged, but here the savior appears unexpectedly and saves the unfortunate man without hesitation. Examples: 1) interchange famous fairy tale about Bluebeard. 2) saving a sentenced person death penalty or generally in mortal danger, etc.
3. REVENGE FOLLOWING CRIME. Elements of the situation: 1) avenger, 2) guilty, 3) crime. Examples: 1) blood feud, 2) revenge on a rival or rival or lover, or mistress out of jealousy.
4. REVENGE OF A CLOSE PERSON FOR ANOTHER CLOSE PERSON OR CLOSE PEOPLE. Elements of the situation: 1) living memory of the insult, harm inflicted on another loved one, the sacrifices he made for the sake of his loved ones, 2) an avenging relative, 3) the relative guilty of these insults, harm, etc. Examples: 1) revenge on a father for his mother or mother on his father, 2) revenge on his brothers for his son, 3) on his father for his husband, 4) on his husband for his son, etc. Classic example: Hamlet’s revenge on his stepfather and mother for his murdered father .
5. PERSECUTED. Elements of the situation: 1) a crime committed or a fatal mistake and the expected punishment, retribution, 2) hiding from punishment, retribution for a crime or mistake. Examples: 1) persecuted by the authorities for politics (for example, “The Robbers” by Schiller, the history of the revolutionary struggle in the underground), 2) persecuted for robbery ( detective stories), 3) persecuted for a mistake in love (“Don Juan” by Moliere, alimony stories, etc.), 4) a hero pursued by a force superior to him (“Chained Prometheus” by Aeschylus, etc.).
6. SUDDEN DISASTER. Elements of the situation: 1) the victorious enemy, appearing in person; or a messenger bringing terrible news of defeat, collapse, etc., 2) a defeated ruler, a powerful banker, an industrial king, etc., defeated by a winner or struck down by the news. Examples: 1) the fall of Napoleon, 2) “Money” by Zola, 3 ) “The End of Tartarin” by Anfons Daudet, etc.
7. VICTIM (i.e. someone, a victim of some other person or people, or a victim of some circumstances, some misfortune). Elements of the situation: 1) one who can influence the fate of another person in the sense of his oppression or some kind of misfortune. 2) weak, being a victim of another person or misfortune. Examples: 1) ruined or exploited by someone who was supposed to care and protect, 2) a previously loved one or loved one who finds themselves forgotten, 3) unfortunate ones who have lost all hope, etc.
8. OUTRAGE, REVOLT, REBELLION. Elements of the situation: 1) tyrant, 2) conspirator. Examples: 1) a conspiracy of one (“The Fiesco Conspiracy” by Schiller), 2) a conspiracy of several, 3) the indignation of one (“Egmond” by Goethe), 4) the indignation of many (“William Tell” by Schiller, “Germinal” by Zola)
9. A BOLD ATTEMPT. Elements of the situation: 1) the daring person, 2) the object, i.e., what the daring person decides to do, 3) the opponent, the opposing person. Examples: 1) theft of an object (“Prometheus - the Thief of Fire” by Aeschylus). 2) enterprises associated with dangers and adventures (novels by Jules Verne, and adventure stories in general), 3) a dangerous enterprise in connection with the desire to achieve the woman he loves, etc.
10. KIDNAPPING. Elements of the situation: 1) the kidnapper, 2) the kidnapped, 3) protecting the kidnapped and being an obstacle to the kidnapping or opposing the kidnapping. Examples: 1) abduction of a woman without her consent, 2) abduction of a woman with her consent, 3) abduction of a friend, comrade from captivity, prison, etc. 4) abduction of a child.
11. RIDDLE (i.e., on the one hand, asking a riddle, and on the other, asking, striving to solve the riddle). Elements of the situation: 1) asking a riddle, hiding something, 2) trying to solve a riddle, find out something, 3) the subject of a riddle or ignorance (mysterious) Examples: 1) under pain of death, you need to find some person or object, 2 ) to find the lost, lost, 3) on pain of death to solve the riddle (Oedipus and the Sphinx), 4) to force a person with all sorts of tricks to reveal what he wants to hide (name, gender, state of mind etc.)
12. ACHIEVEMENT OF SOMETHING. Elements of the situation: 1) someone striving to achieve something, seeking something, 2) someone on whom the achievement of something depends for consent or help, refusing or helping, mediating, 3) there may be a third party - a party opposing the achievement. Examples: 1) try to get from the owner a thing or some other benefit in life, consent to marriage, position, money, etc. by cunning or force, 2) try to get something or achieve something with the help of eloquence (directly addressed to the owner of the thing or to the judge, arbitrators on whom the award of the thing depends)
13. HATRED TO YOUR LOVED ONES. Elements of the situation: 1) the hater, 2) the hated, 3) the cause of hatred. Examples: 1) hatred between loved ones (for example, brothers) out of envy, 2) hatred between loved ones (for example, a son hating his father) for reasons of material gain, 3) hatred of a mother-in-law for a future daughter-in-law, 4) mother-in-law for a son-in-law, 5) stepmothers to stepdaughter, etc.
14. Rivalry between relatives. Elements of the situation: 1) one of the close ones is preferred, 2) the other is neglected or abandoned, 3) an object of rivalry (in this case, apparently, a twist is possible: at first the preferred one is then neglected and vice versa) Examples: 1) rivalry between brothers (“Pierre and Jean” by Maupassant), 2) rivalry between sisters, 3) father and son - because of a woman, 4) mother and daughter, 5) rivalry between friends (“The Two Gentlemen of Verona” by Shakespeare)
15. ADULTURE (i.e. adultery, adultery), LEADING TO MURDER. Elements of the situation: 1) one of the spouses who violates marital fidelity, 2) the other spouse is deceived, 3) violation of marital fidelity (i.e., someone else is a lover or mistress). Examples: 1) kill or allow her lover to kill her husband (“Lady Macbeth Mtsensk district"Leskova, "Therese Raquin" by Zola, "The Power of Darkness" by Tolstoy) 2) kill a lover who entrusted his secret ("Samson and Delilah"), etc.
16. MADNESS. Elements of the situation: 1) a person who has fallen into madness (mad), 2) a victim of a person who has fallen into madness, 3) a real or imaginary reason for madness. Examples: 1) in a fit of madness, kill your lover (“The Prostitute Elisa” by Goncourt), a child, 2) in a fit of madness, burn, destroy your or someone else’s work, a work of art, 3) while drunk, reveal a secret or commit a crime.
17. FATAL NEGLIGENCE. The elements of the situation are: 1) a careless person, 2) a victim of carelessness or a lost object, sometimes accompanied by 3) a good adviser warning against carelessness, or 4) an instigator, or both. Examples: 1) through carelessness, be the cause of your own misfortune, dishonor yourself (“Money” by Zola), 2) through carelessness or gullibility, cause misfortune or the death of another person close to you (Biblical Eve)
18. INVOLVED (ignorant) CRIME OF LOVE (in particular incest). Elements of the situation: 1) lover (husband), mistress (wife), 3) recognition (in the case of incest) that they are in a close degree of relationship that does not allow love relationship according to the law and current morality. Examples: 1) find out that he married his mother (“Oedipus” by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Corneille, Voltaire), 2) find out that his mistress is his sister (“The Bride of Messina” by Schiller), 3) a very commonplace case: find out that his mistress - Married.
19. INVOLVED (through ignorance) MURDER OF A CLOSE ONE. Elements of the situation: 1) killer, 2) unrecognized victim, 3) exposure, recognition. Examples: 1) unwittingly contribute to the murder of his daughter, out of hatred for her lover (“The King is Having Fun” by Hugo, the play on which the opera “Rigoletto” was made), 2) without knowing his father, kill him (“Freeloader” by Turgenev with the fact that murder replaced by an insult), etc.
20. SELF-SACRIFICE IN THE NAME OF AN IDEAL. Elements of the situation: 1) a hero sacrificing himself, 2) an ideal (word, duty, faith, conviction, etc.), 3) a sacrifice made. Examples: 1) sacrifice your well-being for the sake of duty (“Resurrection” by Tolstoy), 2) sacrifice your life in the name of faith, belief...
21. SELF-SACRIFICE FOR THE SAKE OF LOVED ONES. Elements of the situation: 1) the hero sacrificing himself, 2) the loved one for whom the hero sacrifices himself, 3) what the hero sacrifices. Examples: 1) sacrifice your ambition and success in life for the sake of loved one(“The Zemgano Brothers” by Goncourt), 2) sacrifice your love for the sake of the child, for the sake of life loved one, 3) to sacrifice one’s chastity for the sake of the life of a loved one (“Tosca” by Sordu), 4) to sacrifice one’s life for the sake of the life of a relative or loved one, etc.
22. SACRIFICE EVERYTHING FOR PASSION. Elements of the situation: 1) a lover, 2) an object of fatal passion, 3) something that is sacrificed. Examples: 1) passion that destroys the vow of religious chastity (“The Mistake of Abbé Mouret” by Zola), 2) passion that destroys power, authority (“Antony and Cleopatra” by Shakespeare), 3) passion quenched at the cost of life (“Egyptian Nights” by Pushkin) . But not only a passion for a woman, or a woman for a man, but also a passion for racing, card game, guilt, etc.
23. SACRIFICE A CLOSE PERSON DUE TO NECESSITY, INEVITABILITY. Elements of the situation: 1) a hero sacrificing a loved one, 2) a loved one who is being sacrificed. Examples: 1) the need to sacrifice a daughter for the sake of public interest (“Iphigenia” by Aeschylus and Sophocles, “Iphigenia in Tauris” by Euripides and Racine), 2) the need to sacrifice loved ones or one’s followers for the sake of one’s faith, belief (“93” by Hugo), etc. .d.
24. RIVALRY OF INEQUAL (as well as almost equal or equal). Elements of the situation: 1) one rival (in the case of unequal rivalry - lower, weaker), 2) another rival (higher, stronger), 3) the subject of rivalry. Examples: 1) the rivalry between the winner and her prisoner (“Mary Stuart” by Schiller), 2) the rivalry between the rich and the poor. 3) rivalry between a person who is loved and a person who does not have the right to love (“Esmeralda” by V. Hugo), etc.
25. ADULTERY (adultery, adultery). Elements of the situation: the same as in adultery leading to murder. Not considering adultery to be capable of creating a situation in itself, Polti considers it as a special case of theft, aggravated by betrayal, while pointing out three possible cases: 1) the lover is more pleasant than firm than the deceived spouse ), 2) the lover is less attractive than the deceived spouse, 3) the deceived spouse takes revenge. Examples: 1) “Madame Bovary” by Flaubert, “The Kreutzer Sonata” by L. Tolstoy.
26. CRIME OF LOVE. Elements of the situation: 1) lover, 2) beloved. Examples: 1) a woman in love with her daughter’s husband (“Phaedra” by Sophocles and Racine, “Hippolytus” by Euripides and Seneca), 2) the incestuous passion of Doctor Pascal (in novel of the same name Zola), etc.
27. LEARNING ABOUT THE DISHONOR OF A LOVED OR RELATIVE (sometimes associated with the fact that the person who finds out is forced to pronounce a sentence, punish a loved one or loved one). Elements of the situation: 1) the person who recognizes, 2) the guilty loved one or loved one, 3) guilt. Examples: 1) learn about the dishonor of your mother, daughter, wife, 2) discover that your brother or son is a murderer, a traitor to the motherland and be forced to punish him, 3) be forced by virtue of an oath to kill a tyrant - to kill your father, etc. .
28. OBSTACLE OF LOVE. Elements of the situation: 1) lover, 2) mistress, 3) obstacle. Examples: 1) a marriage upset by social or wealth inequality, 2) a marriage upset by enemies or random circumstances, 3) a marriage upset by enmity between parents on both sides, 4) a marriage upset by dissimilarities in the characters of lovers, etc.
29. LOVE FOR THE ENEMY. Elements of the situation: 1) the enemy who aroused love, 2) the loving enemy, 3) the reason why the beloved is the enemy. Examples: 1) the beloved is an opponent of the party to which the lover belongs, 2) the beloved is the killer of the father, husband or relative of the one who loves him (“Romeo and Juliet”), etc.
30. AMBITION AND LOVE OF POWER. Elements of the situation: 1) an ambitious person, 2) what he wants, 3) an opponent or rival, i.e. a person opposing. Examples: 1) ambition, greed, leading to crimes (“Macbeth” and “Richard 3” by Shakespeare, “The Rougons’ Career” and “Land” by Zola), 2) ambition, leading to rebellion, 3) ambition, which is opposed by a loved one, friend, relative, own supporters, etc.
31. FIGHTING GOD (struggle against God). Elements of the situation: 1) man, 2) god, 3) the reason or subject of struggle. Examples: 1) fighting with God, arguing with him, 2) fighting with those faithful to God (Julian the Apostate), etc.
32. UNCONSCIOUS JEALOUSY, ENVY. Elements of the situation: 1) the jealous person, the envious person, 2) the object of his jealousy and envy, 3) the alleged rival, challenger, 4) the reason for the error or the culprit (traitor). Examples: 1) jealousy is caused by a traitor who is motivated by hatred (“Othello”) 2) the traitor acts out of profit or jealousy (“Cunning and Love” by Schiller), etc.
33. JUDICIAL MISTAKE. Elements of the situation: 1) the one who is mistaken, 2) the victim of the mistake, 3) the subject of the mistake, 4) the true criminal Examples: 1) a miscarriage of justice is provoked by an enemy (“The Belly of Paris” by Zola), 2) a miscarriage of justice is provoked by a loved one, the brother of the victim (“The Robbers” by Schiller), etc.
34. REMENTS OF CONSCIENCE. Elements of the situation: 1) the culprit, 2) the victim of the culprit (or his mistake), 3) looking for the culprit, trying to expose him. Examples: 1) remorse of a murderer (“Crime and Punishment”), 2) remorse due to a mistake in love (“Madeleine” by Zola), etc.
35. LOST AND FOUND. Elements of the situation: 1) lost 2) found, 2) found. Examples: 1) “Children of Captain Grant”, etc.
36. LOSS OF LOVED ONES. Elements of the situation: 1) a deceased loved one, 2) a lost loved one, 3) the perpetrator of the death of a loved one. Examples: 1) powerless to do anything (save his loved ones) - a witness to their death, 2) being bound by a professional secret (medical or secret confession, etc.) he sees the misfortune of loved ones, 3) to anticipate the death of a loved one, 4) to find out about the death of an ally, 5) in despair from the death of a loved one, lose all interest in life, become depressed, etc.

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To be honest, it seems to me that Polti compiled his list too generally, too sweepingly, and although I have studied this list more than once and been interested in it, I cannot say that it suits me completely and completely. I agree with the idea that the number of topics in world literature is limited, but of the previously existing typologies and lists, none seems completely adequate to me.
And therefore, I am ready to offer my typology, or rather my list, and in order not to repeat my older comrades, I will define the circle of the most frequently occurring plots, the most popular, to which, however, most works of literature, drama and cinematography come down. Moreover, I won’t describe basic topics, not in general, but to be more specific.
So, according to Max Akimov, there are twelve main plots:

The FIRST plot, the most hackneyed one, is Cinderella. It is very stable, all variations fit into a clear plot outline"standard". The plot is loved by authors of women's literature, and is often used by screenwriters of melodramas. There are a lot of examples.
SECOND plot - The Count of Monte Cristo is a secret hero who becomes clear towards the end of the play, receiving wealth or opportunities from somewhere. His mission is to take revenge, or bring justice! The plot is very popular among the authors of adventure novels and detective stories. It appeared long before Alexandre Dumas, but this novelist most successfully “smoked” this plot, and after him many people used and used the above-mentioned plot.
THIRD plot - Odyssey. This story can be called the first; it is extremely popular. Variations based on it may be different, but you just have to look closely and the ears stick out quite clearly. Sci-fi writers, fantasy writers, authors of adventure literature, travel novels and some other genres are very fond of this ancient story, and sometimes they copy details ancient greek history, which can conditionally be considered a starting point, a reference.
FOURTH story - Anna Karenina. Tragic love triangle. Has roots in ancient Greek tragedies, but Lev Nikolaevich was able to write it out most clearly and in detail. In the twentieth century, especially at the beginning and middle of the century, this plot was one of the most popular (even ordinary copies copied from Tolstoy, when skilled authors change only names, historical settings and other surroundings, I saw several). But there are many talented variations on this theme.
FIFTH plot - Hamlet. Strong personality with a flexible psyche. A broken hero, reflective and bright, fighting for justice, having tasted the betrayal of loved ones and other delights. In the end, he achieves nothing, capable only of tormenting himself, but achieving some kind of spiritual enlightenment and purification, to which he encourages the viewer. Interesting to a fault.
There is nothing to comment on here. The plot is stable, very popular, there is a lot of Dostoevsky in it (near and dear to the Russian heart, and mine in particular). At the present moment this story more popular than ever.
SIXTH plot - Romeo and Juliet. Story happy love. The total number of repetitions of this plot exceeds the number of repetitions of all other plots, but for some reason there are very few talented works, you can literally count them on your fingers. However, in current TV series, in fiction (especially women's literature), in drama and song writing, the plot is unusually popular.
The plot, again, is extremely stable, as it has been since ancient times and to this day, there are few special variations.
SEVENTH plot - Fathers and sons. Its origins are ancient Greek, the plot is complex, and there is a lot of room for variations in it. This also includes the story of Jason’s bride, who is forced to choose between her father and her groom, and to sacrifice one of them. In short, the whole variety of parental egoism colliding with the egoism of children is described by this ancient tangle of plots, similar friends on a friend. There is also altruism of parents, and even less often altruism of children, but usually this ends in tragedy (as if someone had jinxed our whole human race. Ask King Lear, he will tell you).
EIGHTH Plot - Robinson. It partly echoes Hamlet, primarily in the theme of loneliness, and a little with Odysseus, but Robinson’s story can still be called a separate large plot of world literature. Today's writers and screenwriters often copy, word for word, the work of Daniel Defoe. But there are also many talented and original variations. The hero, most often, is absolutely alone on the island, but this is not prerequisite, it happens that several heroes find themselves in some kind of isolation from big world, trying to survive and remain individuals in order to ultimately be saved. My favorite variation is Saltykov-Shchedrin’s story “How one man fed two generals.”
NINTH plot - Trojan theme, war theme. The confrontation between two systems, enmity and hatred, the other side of which is nobility and self-denial. This plot, as a rule, is layered on other plots, or they are layered on top of it, but classic war novels, descriptions of wars in detail, with varying degrees artistry. An organic part of this category of plots is the plot of “Spartacus” - a story about a fighter, about a hero, whose personality is sometimes the opposite of the characteristics of reflective heroes, since the essence of Spartacus is a tough struggle as an image of salvation, as a way of life and a way of thinking, a struggle that is intense, obvious, challenging call.
TENTH plot - The catastrophe and its consequences. Classic antique story. At the present time he has been worn out so much that there is no desire to talk. There are a lot of mediocre copies, but occasionally there are interesting ones. The plot is very narrow in terms of semantic variations, but very broad in terms of descriptive possibilities, surroundings and details. But, to be honest, almost every subsequent novel repeats the previous one, even if you don’t go to a fortune teller!
ELEVENTH story - Ostap Bender - picaresque novel, adventure novel. Origins and classic designs- in the literature of France of the New Time. Extremely popular these days, most often comedic. The tangle of plots is quite bright, and there are often successful variations, but all of them, one way or another, copy a couple of templates created back in the early twentieth century.
Similar to the same plot can be conditionally attributed to numerous novels, novellas and short stories that exploit the image of an ironic private detective (or investigator) who acts as “Ostap Bender in reverse.” Nowadays, a certain “roguish detective story” (sometimes a “roguish action film”), the main character of which solves crimes or scams (and sometimes secrets of the past), is popular and in demand.
This story is updated frequently literary device, which can be conditionally called a “rebus story”, most television series (detective format) are based on it, as well as many book series, abundantly displayed on store shelves.
Plot TWELVE - Time machine, travel to the future. His mirror image- stylization of travel to the past, historical novels. However, this type of work, as a rule, uses “travel to the past” only as an entourage, and the plot is one of those that I listed above, while “travel to the future” is often “ pure plot", that is, its essence comes down precisely to the description of how it all works there in this unknown future.

Well, that's it sample list the most frequently used plots often touched upon by writers. Often, plots come across in a standard form, but the writer who is smarter, who has read a lot, before sitting down at his desk, tries to find a synthesis of plots for himself, that is, to combine several basic plots in one work, and also to modify the original idea as much as possible plot.
There is also such a thing as plotless prose, something like a sketch story, a sketch novel (these genres can be defined in different ways). The literary merits of such texts are different, sometimes quite good, they may contain philosophical motives, imitation of Ovid, etc.
But still, quite distinct modifications of the twelve plots that I have listed are often encountered.

Depending on the nature of the connections between events, there are two types of plots. Plots with a predominance of purely temporal connections between events are chronicle. They are used in epic works of large form (Don Quixote). They can show the adventures of heroes (“Odyssey”), depict the development of a person’s personality (“Childhood Years of Bagrov the Grandson” by S. Aksakov). A chronicle story consists of episodes. Plots with a predominance of cause-and-effect relationships between events are called plots of a single action, or concentric. Concentric plots are often built on such a classicist principle as unity of action. Let us recall that in Griboyedov’s “Woe from Wit” the unity of action will be the events associated with Chatsky’s arrival at Famusov’s house. With the help of a concentric plot, one conflict situation. In drama, this type of plot structure dominated until the 19th century, and in epic works of small form it is still used today. A single knot of events is most often untied in novellas and short stories by Pushkin, Chekhov, Poe, and Maupassant. Chronical and concentric principles interact in the plots of multilinear novels, where several event nodes appear simultaneously (“War and Peace” by L. Tolstoy, “The Brothers Karamazov” by F. Dostoevsky). Naturally, chronicle stories often include concentric micro-plots.

There are plots that differ in the intensity of the action. Event-filled plots are called dynamic. These events contain an important meaning, and the denouement, as a rule, carries a huge meaningful load. This type of plot is typical for Pushkin’s “Tales of Belkin” and Dostoevsky’s “The Gambler.” And vice versa, plots weakened by descriptions and inserted structures are adynamic. The development of action in them does not strive for a denouement, and the events themselves do not contain any particular interest. Adynamic plots in " Dead souls"Gogol, "My Life" by Chekhov.

3. Composition of the plot.

The plot is the dynamic side of the artistic form; it involves movement and development. The engine of the plot is most often a conflict, an artistically significant contradiction. The term comes from Lat. conflictus - collision. A conflict is an acute clash of characters and circumstances, views and life principles, which forms the basis of action; confrontation, contradiction, clash between heroes, groups of heroes, hero and society or internal struggle hero with himself. The nature of the collision can be different: it is a contradiction of duty and inclination, assessments and forces. Conflict is one of those categories that permeate the structure of the entire work of art.

If we consider A. S. Griboedov’s play “Woe is Wit,” it is easy to see that the development of the action here clearly depends on the conflict that lurks in Famusov’s house and lies in the fact that Sophia is in love with Molchalin and hides it from daddy. Chatsky, in love with Sophia, having arrived in Moscow, notices her dislike for himself and, trying to understand the reason, keeps an eye on everyone present in the house. Sophia is unhappy with this and, defending herself, makes a remark at the ball about his madness. Guests who do not sympathize with him happily pick up this version, because they see in Chatsky a person with views and principles different from theirs, and then not just a family conflict is revealed very clearly (Sophia’s secret love for Molchalin, Molchalin’s real indifference to Sophia, ignorance Famusov about what is happening in the house), but also the conflict between Chatsky and society. The outcome of the action (denouement) is determined not so much by Chatsky’s relationship with society, but by the relationship of Sophia, Molchalin and Liza, having learned about which Famusov controls their fate, and Chatsky leaves their home.

In the vast majority of cases, the writer does not invent conflicts. He draws them from primary reality and transfers them from life itself into the realm of themes, issues, and pathos.

Several types of conflicts can be identified that are at the heart of dramatic and epic works. Frequently encountered conflicts are moral and philosophical: the confrontation between characters, man and fate (“Odyssey”), life and death (“The Death of Ivan Ilyich”), pride and humility (“Crime and Punishment”), genius and villainy (“Mozart and Salieri "). Social conflicts consist in the opposition of a character’s aspirations, passions, and ideas to the way of life around him (“ Stingy Knight", "Storm"). The third group of conflicts are internal, or psychological, those that are associated with contradictions in the character of one character and do not become the property of the outside world; this is the mental torment of the heroes of “The Lady with the Dog”, this is the duality of Eugene Onegin. When all these conflicts are combined into one whole, they speak of their contamination. This is achieved to a greater extent in novels (“Heroes of Our Time”) and epics (“War and Peace”). The conflict can be local or insoluble (tragic), obvious or hidden, external (direct clashes of positions and characters) or internal (in the soul of the hero). B. Esin also identifies a group of three types of conflicts, but calls them differently: conflict between individual characters and groups of characters; the confrontation between the hero and the way of life, the individual and the environment; internal conflict, psychological, when we're talking about about the contradiction in the hero himself. V. Kozhinov wrote almost the same about this: “TO . (from Latin collisio - collision) - confrontation, contradiction between characters, or between characters and circumstances, or within character, underlying the action of lit. works 5 . K. does not always speak clearly and openly; For some genres, especially idyllic ones, K. is not typical: they only have what Hegel called “situation”<...>In an epic, drama, novel, short story, K. usually forms the core of the theme, and the resolution of K. appears as the defining moment of the artist. ideas...” “Artist. K. is a clash and contradiction between integral human individuals.” "TO. is a kind of source of energy lit. production, because it determines its action.” “During the course of action, it can worsen or, conversely, weaken; in the end the conflict is resolved one way or another.”

The development of K. sets the plot action in motion.

The plot indicates the stages of action, the stages of the existence of the conflict.

An ideal, that is, complete, model of the plot of a literary work may include the following fragments, episodes, links: prologue, exposition, plot, development of action, peripeteia, climax, denouement, epilogue. There are three mandatory elements in this list: the plot, the development of the action and the climax. Optional - the rest, that is, not all of the existing elements must take place in the work. The components of the plot may appear in different sequences.

Prologue(gr. prolog - preface) is an introduction to the main plot actions. It may give the root cause of events: the dispute about the happiness of men in “Who Lives Well in Rus'.” It clarifies the author's intentions and depicts the events preceding the main action. These events can affect the organization of the artistic space - the place of action.

Exposition is an explanation, a depiction of the characters’ lives in the period before the conflict was identified. For example, the life of young Onegin. It may contain biographical facts and motivate subsequent actions. An exposition can set the conventions of time and space and depict events preceding the plot.

The beginning– this is conflict detection.

Development of action is a group of events necessary for the conflict to occur. It presents twists that escalate the conflict.

Unexpected circumstances that complicate a conflict are called twists and turns.

Climax - (from Latin culmen - top ) - moment highest voltage actions, extreme aggravation of contradictions; the pinnacle of conflict; TO. reveals the main problem of the work and the characters of the characters most fully; after it the effect weakens. Often precedes the denouement. In works with many plot lines, there may be not one, but several TO.

Denouement- this is the resolution of the conflict in the work; it completes the course of events in action-packed works, for example, short stories. But often the ending of works does not contain a resolution to the conflict. Moreover, in the endings of many works, sharp contradictions between the characters remain. This happens both in “Woe from Wit” and in “Eugene Onegin”: Pushkin leaves Eugene at “an evil moment for him.” There are no resolutions in “Boris Godunov” and “The Lady with the Dog.” The endings of these works are open. In Pushkin's tragedy and Chekhov's story, despite all the incompleteness of the plot, the last scenes contain emotional endings and climaxes.

Epilogue(gr. epilogos - afterword) is the final episode, usually following the denouement. In this part of the work, the fate of the heroes is briefly reported. The epilogue depicts the final consequences arising from the events shown. This is a conclusion in which the author can formally complete the story, determine the fate of the heroes, and summarize his philosophical, historical concept (“War and Peace”). The epilogue appears when resolution alone is not enough. Or in the case when, after the completion of the main plot events, it is necessary to express a different point of view (“The Queen of Spades”), to evoke in the reader a feeling about the final outcome of the depicted life of the characters.

The events related to the resolution of one conflict of one group of characters make up the storyline. Accordingly, if there are different storylines, there may be several climaxes. In “Crime and Punishment” this is the murder of a pawnbroker, but this is also Raskolnikov’s conversation with Sonya Marmeladova.

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We present a free translation of the article by Ffion Lindsay.

Plot construction - difficult task even for experienced screenwriters. The options seem endless. What if all stories are based on only 7 universal themes? If the right plot, once found, can captivate your viewers over and over again?

• A story about following a goal, despite all the difficulties encountered along the way.
• Discussion life lessons, what overcoming obstacles teaches.
• Showcasing how you, your team or company have become stronger through overcoming adversity.

From rags to riches

The hero, modest, perhaps humiliated, suddenly gets what he wants; money, power, love, but soon he is forced to part with what he acquired in order to find it again, but through overcoming difficulties, in the struggle for his happiness.

Usually the hero “bites off more than he can eat” and fails to cope with his success, because... I'm not ready for it yet. He must grow as a person and achieve what he wants himself.

This plot is good in the following cases:

• A story about the importance of learning from your mistakes and gaining happiness through overcoming difficulties.
• Discuss the ability to take risks and accept failure.
• Demonstrating how the hero earned his success.

Travel and return

Main character finds himself in an unfamiliar place, meets new characters and overcomes difficulties in trying to return home. The friends acquired on this journey and the wisdom accumulated through overcoming obstacles allow him to find his way home.

This plot is common in children's literature; quite often you can see a story about how the hero ends up in fairyland and travels through it, participating in various adventures.

This plot is good in the following cases:

• A story about the benefits of being open to new experiences.
• A story about what the hero learned on his journey, how he changed.
• Demonstrating the power of friendship.

Adventure (Quest)

The hero goes in search of a specific prize, being exposed to various temptations and trials along the way. To achieve his goal, he will have to overcome all his shortcomings, perhaps he will have to face his fears and past.

The hero is most often accompanied by a group of friends who complement him with their skills, support him along the way and help him achieve his goal.

This plot is good in the following cases:

• A story about the importance of sticking to your beliefs.
• If you need to show how, by trying to succeed, the hero grows emotionally.
• Demonstrating the power of teamwork.

Comedy

A comedy is a light-hearted story, in the center of which there is often some confusion, misunderstanding, which leads to conflict, but in the end everything is safely resolved and returns to its place.

This plot is good in the following cases:

• A story about the beginning of the difficulties of a partnership - romantic, friendly or business.
• Discussion of what experience your hero received in the current difficult situation.
• Demonstrating how both sides are beginning to accept and support each other.

Tragedy

The main character is a negative or unpleasant person, often a villain, and we are told the story of his downfall.

Sometimes the villain begins to repent, usually towards the end of the story, but often it is too late for him. And he, in any case, dies or is defeated. The downfall of the negative character allows the positive participants in the story to flourish.

This plot is good in the following cases:

• Using a strong, principled character to highlight issues in society.
• Comparison of your own principles with the principles of a negative character.
• Demonstration of how not to act, we can learn from the mistakes of the negative hero.

Rebirth

Main character - negative character, who, as the story progresses, realizes his mistakes and atones for them.

Usually, a character appears in the plot who helps negative hero make the transition to the rebirth (rebirth) of your personality. Often, such a motivating factor is the hero's love interest in one of the characters or the appearance of a child and the hero's attachment to him. Their task is to show the hero his perverted worldview and open his eyes to the true essence of things.

This plot is good in the following cases:

• A story about a learning experience.
• When you need to show the importance of having support from loved ones.
• Demonstrating that every person can change for the better.

All these types of plots have analogues in which happy ending changes and the story ends darkly. The exception to this is a tragedy, the ending of which, by default, is not meant to be happy.

Of course, these types of plots are not the ultimate truth. If you have an idea that doesn't fit these types of plots, or combines several of them, great! But hopefully this quick guide has helped you choose the type of story that will best convey your intent and message.

Translation – video design studio “Tut Infographics”
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