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The Meta Plot

Most of the meta-plots are variations on the following pattern:


Anticipation Stage
The call to adventure, and the promise of what is to come.
Dream Stage
The heroine or hero experiences some initial success - everything seems to be
going well, sometimes with a dreamlike sense of invincibility.
Frustration Stage
First confrontation with the real enemy. Things begin to go wrong.
Nightmare Stage
At the point of maximum dramatic tension, disaster has erupted and it seems
all hope is lost.
Resolution
The hero or heroine is eventually victorious, and may also be united or reunited
with their other half (a romantic partner).
Overcoming the Monster
a hero must defeat a monster and restore
order to a world that has been threatened
by the monsters presence.
Examples: Beowulf, Theseus, Dracula, Jaws
Rags to Riches
These stories feature modest,
generally virtuous but downtrodden
characters, who achieve a happy
ending when their special talents or
true beauty is revealed to the world
at large.
Examples: Aladdin, Cinderella,
Prince & The Pauper
The Quest
A hero, often accompanied by sidekicks, travels in
search of a priceless treasure and fights against evil
and overpowering odds, and ends when he gets
both the treasure and the girl.
Examples: The Odyssey, Raiders of the Lost Ark
Voyage and Return
Stories of normal protagonists who are
suddenly thrust into strange and alien
worlds and must make their way back to
normal life.
Examples: Alice in Wonderland, Lost in Space
Comedy
Following a general chaos of misunderstanding, the characters
tie themselves and each other into a knot that seems almost
unbearable; however, to universal relief, everyone and
everything gets sorted out, bringing about the happy ending.
Examples: Shakespearian Plays, Oscar Wilde Plays
Tragedy
A character through some flaw
or lack of self-understanding
is increasingly drawn into a
fatal course of action which
leads inexorably to disaster.
Examples: Julius Caesar, Romeo
& Juliet
Rebirth
There is a mounting sense of threat as
a dark force approaches the hero until
it emerges completely, holding the
hero in its deadly grip. Only after a
time, when it seems that the dark force
has triumphed, does the reversal take
place. The hero is redeemed, usually
through the life-giving power of love.
Examples: A Christmas Carol, Its A
Wonderful Life

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