- Hardcover: 728 pages
- Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd. (28 Oct 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0826452094
- ISBN-13: 978-0826452092
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.6 x 5.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 188,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"'I am overwhelmed by the immensity of [this] intellectual, literary, cultural and psychological achievement. [Booker has] encompassed the great European canon, mastered it, penetrated it and laid bare its anatomy and physiology.' Anthony Stevens"
Product Description
This is a monumental work of breath-taking originality - the fruit of a lifetime's research and reading that will unlock the secrets of stories through the ages for all. From The Epic of Gilgamesh to Jaws and Schindler's List, Christopher Booker examines in details the stories that underlie literature and the plots that are basic to story-telling through the ages. In this magisterial work he examines the plots of films, opera libretti and the contemporary novel and short story. Underlying the stories he examines are seven basic plots: rags to riches; the quest; voyage and return; the hero as monster; rebirth, and so on. Booker shows that the images and stories serve a far deeper and more significant purpose in our lives than we have realised hitherto. In the definition of these basic plots, Booker shows us entering a realm in which the recognition of the plots proves to be only the gateway. We are in fact uncovering a kind of hidden universal language: a nucleus of situations and figures that are the very stuff from which stories are made. With Booker's exploration, there is literally no story in the world that cannot be seen in a new light. We have come to the heart of what stories are about, and why we tell them. Here, Christopher Booker moves on from some of the themes he outlined in his best-selling book The Neophiliacs. Seven Basic Plots is unquestionably his most important book to date.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
104 of 115 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Seminal Masterpiece,
By
This review is from: The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories (Hardcover)
I have literally just finished reading this book, having slaved with great enjoyment over each page for the last 7 days.I won't attempt to sum up such a magnum opus but instead, here are some of my personal observations of the book - what made it special for me; 1. It is an easy read -- always interesting and well constructed, refreshing and thought provoking. 2. It is standalone -- by which I mean you are not expected to be familiar with the great works of literature or jungian psychology; in some ways this book is the ultimate "bluffers guide" to all of literature -- each work is surmised and explained in enough detail to justify an argument or assertion. 3. It is visionary -- this book paints the biggest of the big pictures; what emerges spans all of the arts and humanities bringing a truly visionary perspective that is at time challenging and always thought provoking; what stories reveal about who we are? why are we like we are? 4. It is inspirational -- how many readers will close the book desperate to unleash that "novel within them" given the secrets to developing plots that "hit the mark" (smile). After reading it I can fully understand why it has taken 35 years to produce, having spent 7 days reading it I feel I have cheated the author. I'm sure I'll be back to it again as some of the subtleties reveal themselves, and to challenge the arguments themselves with the armoury he provides. On the negative side, I found it meandered a little here and there and felt a little repetetive at times, but this is to be expected when you write, on average one chapter a year!!!! Some of the typos are surprising and it must contain some of the longest footnotes in all of publishing! Best non-fiction book I have ever read.
41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The seven basic plots,
This review is from: The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories (Paperback)
This is a superb book judged by any standard and from any angle. I'd give it 6 stars if it were allowed.It's extensively researched, annotated, and beautifully written. Not repetitive at all as some reviewers claim. Just for the sheer volume of encyclopedic reference material you should buy it. Previous reviewers have commented negatively about Booker's presupposition of morals/ethics in terms of developing a good story. I heartily applaud Booker for this and additionally his point that the inner transformation of characters is what gives them and the story depth and meaning. Resolving inner conflicts through a journey of dicovery/quest is why we read/listen to/watch stories/movies, etc. in the first place. Nowadays we have become so used to and enthralled by two dimensional pasteboard characters in modern novels/movies that we resent anyone who suggest that good stories need morals, depth and inner transformation of the characters as well as an external plot. Stories are not just for entertainment but good stories feeds the soul, just as pop music is entertainment and cathartic but classical music can be religious experiences. Other reviewers have complained about the Jungian approach in analysing the development of characters. I personally think this is the best point of this book. I particularly agree with Booker's point that authors subconsciously projects their personal shadows onto his characters and one can nearly always discern the author's personal morals by the stories he writes. After all, creativity is but an exercise in self-discovery. This book should be listed under Jungian psychology as well. Although the author has not so stated, I bet he's personally gone through analysis in the 30+ years that took him to write this book, because he shows an indepth knowledge of the Jungian approach far beyond what one might expect of someone who has just read up on it. Booker has surpassed Joseph Campbell, and in fact has gone beyond where Campbell left off. So another star should be awarded and Booker deserves a medal just for his Herculean efforts. For his effectiveness he should be cannonised whilst alive. Buy this book and read it!
65 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The starting pistol for an incredible new cultural debate,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories (Hardcover)
Why do we rent movies, buy books, visit the cinema, get hooked on Friends, Coronation Street, the West Wing or whatever? What motivated early man to paint narrative on the walls of his cave? Why do we tell, and indeed, love to expose ourselves to stories? It is these fundamental questions that Christopher Booker grapples with in his audacious new work.This is essential book. Though there may be some that do not agree with Booker's conclusions, they cannot help but be impressed by the scale and rigour of his work. From the Texas Chain Saw Massacre, to the Lascaux cave paintings in the Dordogne, Booker tirelessly explores how our insatiable hunger to communicate through story has shaped our politics, morality and art. And incredibly, the awesome scale of Booker's task is heavily disguised for the reader by the poise, wit and lightness of his experienced hand. This book is unique, I found ideas fizzing on every page, each piece in Booker's intricate jigsaw sparking and connecting with my own thoughts. And the author neither preaches nor condescends - that is not Booker's style. Instead, he explains why the seemingly limitless language of human emotion is bound by the most fundamental and eternal of values. And they say they new Nigella is an essential read...
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