Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

Exposition

Rising action

Climax

Falling action

Denouement

In 2004 Christopher Booker published his momentous book, The Seven

Basic Plots. It is reputed to have taken him 34 years to complete.
Through an extensive analysis of stories originating from around the
world, he stipulates that all stories can be reduced to seven
fundamental narrative structures. He claims that these seven plots
are embedded in our collective unconscious and the human psyche.

Plot might be largely intuitive, but at BPA, we have observed that

structure is an issue both for beginner and experienced writers. By
reading about structural techniques and theory, such as the theories
laid down in Booker’s book, you can learn to improve the shape of
your story by making it tighter and more inherently satisfying to a
reader. With that in mind, let us now take a look at Booker’s seven
basic plots.

1. Overcoming the Monster

In this, the oldest surviving story type, a hero or heroine has to face and
overcome an evil force. This “monster” is invariably egocentric and
seemingly all-powerful, although it has a blind spot that will ultimately be its
downfall. The Hero, in direct opposition to the monster, acts selflessly, for some
higher cause.

The story often presents a similar pattern or structure. We will use Ian
Fleming’s Dr. No as an example:

 Anticipation Stage and ‘Call’: First awareness of monster and call to

confront it.

‘M’ summons James Bond to give him a mission to investigate the

disappearance of Commander John Strangways in Jamaica.

 Dream Stage: All preparations for the battle are going well.
Bond has a first encounter with the ‘monster’ and is victorious. He receives a
basket of poisoned fruit and almost dies by a deadly centipede hidden in his
bed. He meets the beautiful Ms. Rider.

 Frustration Stage: The hero/heroine comes face to face with the

monster, who seems unbeatable.

No’s men capture Bond and Rider. No tells Bond that he is working with the
Russians to sabotage US test missiles.

 Nightmare Stage: In the final ordeal, all seems lost, when there comes
a ‘reversal’.

No forces Bond through an obstacle course where he suffers electric shocks,

burns and an encounter with large, venomous spiders. Bond uses improvised
weapons to defeat a giant squid.

 The Thrilling Escape of Death, and Death of the Monster: The hero
or heroine miraculously overthrows the monster. The community living
under its shadow is liberated. The main protagonist is generally granted a
prize: a great treasure, succession to a kingdom, someone’s hand in
marriage.

Bond saves Rider then kills No. He enjoys a night with Rider.

This story structure has been used frequently in War stories, Hollywood
Westerns, Science Fiction (such as Star Wars) and Thrillers, including James
Bond. It is in a sense the most basic of all the plots.

2. Rags to Riches
In this narrative structure, a young person of seemingly little
significance is sent out into the world where they meet with a series of
adventures which improve their fortunes, but also bring them to a state
of personal maturity, revealing them to be of exceptional character.

They are overshadowed by ‘dark’ figures who may either be adult figures,
such as the wicked stepmother in Cinderella, or peers to the main protagonist,
closer in age and status, such as the fellow ducklings in The Ugly Duckling.
They are invariably egocentric and share a ‘blinkered’, dismissive vision of the
main protagonist.

‘Rags to Riches’ is built upon two stages separated by a central crisis. We

will use Aladdin as an example:

 Initial wretchedness at home and the ‘Call’: Introduction to the

young hero or heroine in their initial lowly, unhappy state. Dark figures
 scorn or maltreat them. Something happens to send them out into the
world.

Aladdin is an unruly boy. A sorcerer pretending to be Aladdin’s uncle sends

Aladdin on a mission to recuperate an old lamp. When the boy refuses to turn it
over, the sorcerer traps him in the cave. The boy inadvertently rubs the lamp
and a genie appears.

 Out into the world, initial success: A first, limited success. A glimpse
of what they might attain. The poor protagonist acquires things such as
power, wealth, and a mate.

Aladdin escapes and builds a life for himself and his mother. He falls in love
with the Princess Badr-al-Budr, and thanks to the lamp, marries her. He boasts
about his successes when, in fact, they are all due to the lamp.

 The central crisis: Everything goes wrong. All seems lost. The dark
figures return.

While Aladdin is away, the Sorcerer creeps into the palace and offers to replace
old lamps with new ones. The Princess gives him the magic lamp. Immediately,
the sorcerer spirits her and the palace away to Africa. The King is so furious, he
gives Aladdin 40 days to return his daughter or die. Aladdin encounters a less
powerful genie. The genie has just enough power to send him to the palace in
Africa.

 Independence and the final ordeal: The hero or heroine discovers

new, inner strength as they grow as a person. This personal growth will
enable them to win the final battle against some dark figure.

Aladdin disguises himself as a beggar to enter the palace. He gives the

princess a sleeping potion to administer to the sorcerer and when he is asleep,
he kills him.

 Final union, completion and fulfilment: They are rewarded by a

loving union with their love interest. They have evolved from childhood to
a state of completeness and maturity.

The monster is overcome. Aladdin can return the palace and princess home.
United with his other half, he has learned to not depend on his magical powers,
and he is now fit to rule wisely and justly over the kingdom.

The Dark Variants:

There exist dark twists on this version whereby the hero or heroine follow a
similar climb from rags to riches but fail to enjoy the rewarding ending. This
might be because they acted through egotistical desires that ultimately
bring about their destruction. A good example of this would Stendhal’s Le
Rouge et Le Noir, in which Julien Sorel rises to a position of power by acting
cruelly and selfishly. He ends up guillotined (spoiler alert).

3. The Quest

The ‘Quest’ focuses on a hero or heroine’s journey towards a distant goal – a

priceless treasure, a new home, freedom – and it is only when this goal is
secured that the story is resolved.

The main protagonist is generally accompanied by companions. These might

be the faithful companion, such as Sam Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings.
Or the ‘alter-ego’, who displays opposing qualities to the hero, such as
in Wooster and Jeeves. They might also be a group of very different
individuals whose varying qualities add up to a ‘whole’, complementing each
other in helping the main protagonist (Umbrella Academy, Watership Down).
It is structured like this:

 The Call: Life has become intolerable and a long, difficult journey has to
be undertaken to change the current state of affairs.

 The Journey: The main protagonist and their companions set out across
hostile terrain, encountering monsters and temptations, such as the
deadly Sirens in The Odyssey.

These are punctuated with periods of respite, during which they receive help or
advice, stereotypically from wise old men or beautiful young (or ageless)
women, embodied by the wizard Gandalf and the queen Galadriel in Lord of
the Rings.

 Arrival & Frustration: The protagonist is in sight of their goal, but a

new and formidable set of challenges arise which they must overcome to
secure the goal.

 The Final Ordeals: There is a last series of tests (often three in

number), culminating in a great battle or ordeal. The main protagonist
has matured throughout the story so that they are now ready the
decisive confrontation with the power of darkness.

 The Goal: There is a thrilling escape from death! The main characters
achieve their goal, and there is the assurance of a renewed possibility of
life and peace.

Dark Variant:

The most recognisable variant is Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Captain Ahab’s
obsessive goal is to kill the great white whale. His quest is dark, bent only on
destruction, and consequently ends with his own death.
4. Voyage and Return

This plot is also based on a journey, but with some key differences. The main
protagonist or group of characters journey to an unfamiliar, disconcertingly
strange world. This might be an unknown land or island that was
previously unexplored or unknown (Robinson Crusoe, 20,000 Leagues Under
the Sea), or it might be an imaginary, magical realm (The Chronicles of
Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, Gulliver’s Travels).

The plot might also be expressed through a ‘social’ Voyage and Return,
such as in Waugh’s Brideshead Revisted, where the young Charles Ryder enters
into the unfamiliar social milieu of upper society, only to be ejected from it at
the end of the novel.

The strange and unfamiliar might also be a change of outward identity,

such as the swapping of bodies in the 2003 film Freaky Friday.
The plot unfolds like this:

 Anticipation Stage and ‘fall’ into the other world: The hero or
heroine is projected out of their familiar, rather limited existence, into a
strange world.

 Initial fascination or Dream Stage: Their first experience of this new

place might be exciting.

 Frustration Stage: A shadow intrudes, representing a danger. There is

difficulty and oppression.

 Nightmare Stage: There is a serious threat to the main protagonist’s

survival.

 Thrilling Escape & Return: Just as the threat reaches its climax, they
make their escape from this other world.

Either it all seems to be ‘a dream’, such as in Alice in Wonderland, where the

character is little changed by their experience, or the character has
undergone a change. A good example is Robinson Crusoe, who at the start of
the novel is a ‘limited’ feckless young man, who gradually learns to take
responsibility for his own destiny, eventually becoming a ‘kingly’ figure on the
island, before following his father’s advice by settling down.

Dark variant:

In its most negative form, the hero may remain trapped in this other world,
never to return. This is the case in Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, whereby the
main character, Gregor Samsa, transforms into a huge insect (another spoiler).

5. Comedy
The Comedy Plot evolved over thousands of years in theatre, before appearing
in prose form. Booker laments the appearance of comedy as just ‘humour’,
while losing its more serious core.

The true structure of comedy (with many variations) is as follows:

1. In a small world there enters a state of confusion in which people are

shut off from one another.

2. This confusion worsens through a series of events until everyone is in a

tangle.

3. With the coming to light of things that were previously unknown – the
truth – perceptions of people and events are drastically changed.
Everyone can finally see everything and everyone clearly, including
themselves. This dispels the dark shadows, and the small world unites in
a happy ending.
In Comedy, someone’s true nature or identity is often hidden and there
may be a love triangle. At the origin of the whole mess is a dark figure
behaving selfishly, keeping the main character separated from their love
interest. The dark figure might be a dark rival or a parent opposed to the
union, such as The Count in The Marriage of Figaro or Casaubon
in Middlemarch. Things can only end happily when the dark figure has a
change of heart, or, on the contrary, when they are exposed and banished.

The dark figure might also be the main hero or heroine. They also need to go
through a change of heart or ‘come to themselves’ if they wish to have a happy
ending (Bertram in Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well, and Emma in Jane
Austen’s Emma).

There is a third type of Comedy where there is no dark figure, but where the
source of confusion is from a general state of misunderstanding. This is
the case in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream or in Four Weddings
and a Funeral.

At the end, everyone’s true nature is revealed, everyone pairs up with the right
‘other half’, and what was divided is now united in a great coming together.

Example: Jane Austen’s Persuasion

Anne Elliott is resigned to spinsterhood after being impelled by her aunt years
before to turn down Captain Wentworth. The Captain turns up again, still
looking for a wife, and woos a series of young, foolish women. When Anne is
wooed by another man, she almost accepts his hand, before discovering his
true nature as a weak, ladies’ man. Both Anne and Captain Wentworth
recognise they are still in love and decide to marry.

6. Tragedy
The protagonist is lacking something or is feeling unfilled and becomes
tempted to step outside the bounds of goodness or normality to
satisfy a dark need, that has become an obsession. However, nothing
turns out as expected, and as they lose their sense of judgement, they become
isolated and spiral down to their undoing. This plot is almost a reversal of the
‘Overcoming the Monster’ plot, from the monster’s point of view.

The villain often has one of these four archetypal victims:

 The Good Old Man (Duncan in Macbeth)

 The Rival or Shadow (Quilty, who steals Lolita from Humbert in Lolita)

 The Innocent Young Girl (Sibyl Vane in The Portrait of Dorian Gray)

 The Temptress (Lady Macbeth, Carmen)

The Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde presents the perfect Tragedy plot
structure:

 Anticipation stage or Temptation: Some object of desire or goal

presents itself to the unfulfilled protagonist.

The Dark figure Lord Henry Wootton tempts Dorian Gray with the thought of
how wonderful it would be to live a life of total physical indulgence and to stay
continuously young and beautiful, like in his painting.

 Dream Stage: He is winning his heart’s desires and ‘getting away’ with
his course of action.

Dorian falls into a life of instant sensual gratification, hurting and corrupting
many people around him. The painting changes, growing older and crueller
looking.

 Frustration Stage: Things start to go wrong, and the character is

compelled to commit further dark acts.

A friend confronts Dorian, who kills him.

 Nightmare Stage: Forces of opposition are closing in on them.

Dorian is confronted by the brother of an actress he abandoned and who

committed suicide. The brother is accidentally killed before he can kill Dorian
but Dorian is now half mad with horror and despair.

 Destruction or Death Wish Stage: The hero is destroyed, either by

someone else or by their own hand.

Dorian decides to look at his painting, and he is so horrified by what he sees,

he stabs it and in so doing kills himself.

In some Tragedies, the protagonist might redeem themselves and have a

change of heart but too late, like in King Lear. In others, the main characters
are victims of a darkness situated outside themselves, such as the family feud
in Romeo and Juliet.

7. Rebirth
In this plot, the main character falls into a dark state, often because they
are immature or undeveloped. They stay imprisoned in this state for a
significant amount of time before a secondary, redeeming figure liberates them
into the ‘light’. They have transformed into their mature, whole selves.

This is best illustrated by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen.

 The main character falls under the spell of a dark force.

An evil mirror shatters above the world and splinters fall into the little boy
Kay’s eyes and heart, distorting his vision of the world and making his heart
cold and hard.

 For a certain period, all seems to be going well.

Kay becomes cruel to others, especially his best friend Gerda.

  The dark power takes over and the hero/heroine becomes
trapped.

The Snow Queen kidnaps Kay and takes him off on her sledge.

 Nightmare crisis. The imprisonment in a state of living death

continues for a long time.

Greta decides to go looking for him. After a long journey, she finds him
imprisoned in the Queen’s ice palace. He is all alone, doing logical puzzles.

 The main protagonist is saved.

Gerda embraces him and her tears wash away the ice from his eyes and heart.
Kay can feel and see the world in its true light. They travel home and on
returning find they have grown up into fully fledged adults.

Other examples of a Rebirth plot include Crime and Punishment, The Christmas
Carol and The Secret Garden.

You might have noticed that for Booker all stories that end well have a main
character who acts selflessly for the greater good or ‘light’ and/or
obtains a state of self-understanding, maturity and peace, whereas all
dark stories end with a character who was not capable of evolving past their
own destructive and limited beliefs.

Conclusion:

Hopefully learning about these seven basic plots will deepen your
understanding of how stories are structured at a plot level.

Booker argues that many stories from the twentieth century such as the works
of Thomas Hardy, Anton Chekhov or Samuel Beckett deviate from these classic
patterns and are therefore flawed and dissatisfying to a reader. Many critics
disagree with this conclusion.

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