Or maybe, having come to his department, so casually to mention, they say, he met a friend yesterday on the street, he works in the address bureau, and he said that there are as many as sixteen Samsonas K. in Lithuania? No, one hundred and sixty! Or drag and arrange on your desk fourteen volumes of Balzac? And if you immediately reconcile with the fourth or second wife? No! It's better to head into the water! The last thought seemed to him the most successful, especially since a river flows not far from the house ...
With great effort, so that even the vertebrae crunch, Samsonas rises from the table, pulls on a baggy shirpotrebovsky jacket ... His own body, which he always treated with love and respect, now really seems to him a "foreign formation." “But the day after tomorrow is Saturday,” Katinelis suddenly thinks, “what am I going to do with this alien pile of bones and meat? Oh yes… the bridge…”
He pushes the “foreign formation” onto the stairs, goes downstairs, stops and looks at the blue with bitter reproach. Mailbox. But then he finds a pencil in his pocket. Uh, no, the river isn't going anywhere! Let's wait better for a new magazine poll ... And only then ... Already then! ..
WHY I DON'T WANT TO WRITE HUMORESKES ANY MORE
Why don't you write humoresques anymore? - some unfamiliar person asked me and, without waiting for an answer, waved his hand and went on his way.
Why do I no longer write humoresques? .. Why? .. Do you want to be honest? Do you want - in all honesty?
... At the end of that cloudy day, a plot for a humoresque was being tied up in my head - and what a plot! I quickened my pace in order to get home as soon as possible and fall to my typewriter. I could already hear the grateful and cheerful laughter of readers. Ah, what a plot! But…
But suddenly a crowd blocked my way. Something happened on the street: an accident, a collision? What exactly, through the backs of the crowded curious not to consider. I tried to cling more tightly to my plot (oh, what a plot!) And began, as expected, to push my way with my elbows. Accompanied by curses and pushes, somehow she finally made her way into the front rows of spectators. And what? .. A rather banal picture opened up before me: at the very sidewalk, with its hood buried in the side of the truck, there was a passenger car. By the way, she was still brand new - even without a number. A plush monkey bobbed behind the broken windshield. That's because the quickie - he hasn't received the number yet, but the amulet has already hung up! This amulet helped him, you can’t say anything!.. The unfortunate owner of the car felt the cut eyebrow and, as if in a dream, looked either at his rumpled car, or at the truck driver spewing curses, or at the monkey ...
That's all I saw on that cloudy evening, making my way into the front rows of the curious. Now, of course, you will ask why I stopped writing humoresques ... Do you think it was because of this accident? .. What are you! I have witnessed such accidents, in comparison with which this is a childish prank ...
The fact is that, having saturated my eyes and ears with the spectacle of a traffic accident, I again remembered my plot and that I should rush to the typewriter as soon as possible. I looked back at the living wall - I had to break through it again in order to gain freedom. She looked back and - like Lot's wife - turned into a pillar of salt. Yes Yes! So she remained standing, unable to take her eyes off the crowd. However, no, it was not a crowd, not a random gathering of people, a monolithic, almost single-celled organism crowded in front of me - with one outstretched neck, one greedily open mouth, one eye burning with curiosity. And only one feeling overwhelmed him: boundless gratitude to fate, which gave him such a bright, joyful spectacle on this dull, cloudy day! When, for example, the injured private trader tried in vain to lift the lid of the dented hood, a single joyful chuckle escaped from a single chest, which immediately turned into a mighty waterfall of laughter, when a hefty guy got out of the truck cab and thrust his hairy fist under the victim’s nose ...
It was then, listening to the hearty, sparkling laughter, seeing the eye of the crowd sparkling with joy and bliss, I realized: never, never - even if I were the great Cervantes or Mark Twain - never could any of my humoresques be able to evoke such a powerful, joyful, infectious laughter!
I didn’t even feel how my palm spontaneously opened and the plot (oh, what a plot!) flopped onto the pavement, trembled slightly and breathed its last ... Why creative torment, why single combat with a capricious muse, why the exhausting work of sleepless nights? Isn't it easier to jump on a bicycle - or even better on a motorcycle - and crash into an excavator, or even better - into a pole ... That will be laughter! ..
HOW BREAD IS BAKED
PAINTING
I would like to buy a painting from you, - I said to the artist, entering his studio. - I dream of hanging a valuable work of art on the wall.
The artist, apparently, plunged into work with his head, however, upon hearing my words, he immediately threw the brush aside and offered me a chair, after brushing the dust off it with his sleeve. I liked it: real artists should have such sleeves and such dust. She sat down, put her purse on her knees, and looked around the studio. Dirty, paint-stained walls, a ceiling hung with cobwebs, a window patched with an old palette - you can’t say anything: everything that a real artist should have! The owner himself made a good impression: although he is still young, there are gray strands in his beard, a long mouthpiece sticks out of the breast pocket, boots on his feet are soft, with lapels, gathered like an accordion ... But for some reason without a black velvet jacket. And, to be honest, I was simply not able to imagine a real artist before without a black velvet or at least a brown suede jacket. In addition, I always believed that a true artist should live and work not in some low room with radiators and a window overlooking the courtyard of the kindergarten, but in a high attic, where a bohemian potbelly stove crackles merrily, and a unique view opens from the window on the embankments of the Seine, that is, I beg your pardon, the river Neris ...
What do you like? - asked the artist, setting up an empty easel in front of me. - Landscape, still life, figure composition?
The question didn't take me by surprise. Before coming here, I consulted with a certain representative creative world, a real authority: he wore not only a suede jacket, but also a black velvet beret, pulled down, as it should be in their art world, over the eardrum of his right ear. It was he who gave me the idea to decorate my interior with an original canvas. Once I ran to my company to drink coffee - as if on purpose, I did not find a single grain! - he critically surveyed my apartment and began to explain to his retinue: “In front of you is a typical bourgeois interior. Four gray walls - and not a single original touch! - "What's the next stroke?" - I was surprised. " original work art, I was told. - With such bare walls, now it's a shame to show yourself to people. Coffee, mind you, now in every store in bulk, and valuable canvases are snapped up in an instant! - “If so,” I answer, “then, probably, in your own interior to hell with this coffee, that is, original touches, I should run to you with my company, take a look. - "In my? he frowned and pulled the beret over his eyes like a bathing cap. - I'm constantly snooping around the world of art, why do I need my own strokes? Run to him before it's too late and grab the original painting. One that is artistically valuable. And only for his brush characteristic. And also essential for your interior!”
Plots of world literature (36 plots)
Literature is primarily an art, but at the same time it is information, albeit a very specific one. And the information volume of the world literature is constantly increasing, growing to more and more impressive sizes. But, unlike science and technology, from ideology, in fiction new information does not cancel or replace the previous one. (All masterpieces of world literature in summary. Plots and characters. Russian Literature of the 19th Century: Encyclopedic Edition. - M.: Olimp; Publishing house ACT, 1996. - 832 p., p.11)
Thus, the volume of world literature that grows over time does not change in its essence - repetitive plots are used that reflect the main storylines of people's lives.
Each new era adds only an update in style and some character traits this era, including minor changes in the use of language and preferences.
Systematization, schematization, cataloging of the world's book treasures occupied analysts of all eras ... back in the 9th century, it was started by Patriarch Photius of Constantinople, who compiled the "Miriobiblion" (translated as "Many books" or as "Library") - a collection short descriptions works of Greek and Byzantine authors, including ecclesiastical, secular, historical, and medical literature. It is noteworthy that the idea of such a universal, comprehensive library became relevant again a thousand and a hundred years later. In the works of Hermann Hesse, and especially in the short stories of Jorge Luis Borges, the image of "the world as a library" appears. (All the masterpieces of world literature in brief. Plots and characters. Russian literature of the 19th century: Encyclopedic edition. - M .: Olymp; Publishing house ACT, 1996. - 832 pp. 12)
The famous writer Jorge Luis Borges stated that there are only four plots and, accordingly, four heroes, whom he described in his short story "Four Cycles".
1. Most old story- a story about a city under siege, which is being stormed and defended by heroes. The defenders know that the city is doomed and resistance is futile. This is the story of Troy, and main character- Achilles knows that he will die without seeing victory. A rebel hero, the very fact of whose existence is a challenge to the surrounding reality. In addition to Achilles, the heroes of this plot are Siegfried, Hercules, Sigurd and others.
2. The second story is about the 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 the search. This story is somewhat similar to the second, but in this case the hero is not an outcast and does not oppose himself to society. The most famous example of such a hero is Jason, sailing for the Golden Fleece.
4. The fourth story is about the suicide of God. Atys maims and kills himself, Odin sacrifices himself to Odin, to 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.
Another famous author Christopher Booker, in his book "The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories" ("Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories"), described seven basic plots, on the basis of which, in his opinion, all the books in the world are written.
1. "From rags to riches" - the name speaks for itself, the most striking example, familiar to everyone since childhood - Cinderella. Heroes - ordinary people, discovering something unusual in themselves, thanks to their own efforts or by coincidence, they find themselves “on top”.
2. "Adventure" - a difficult journey in search of an elusive goal. According to Booker, both Odysseus and Jason fall into this category, in addition, both "King Solomon's Mines" and "Around the World in Eighty Days" fall into this category.
3. "There and back." At the heart of the plot is the attempt of the hero, torn from the familiar world, to return home. This is Robinson Crusoe, and Alice Through the Looking-Glass, and many others.
4. "Comedy" - This is not just a general term, it is a certain kind of plot that develops according to its own rules. All Jane Austen novels fall into this category.
5. "Tragedy" - the climax is the death of the protagonist due to any character flaws, usually love passion or a 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 story is also familiar to everyone since childhood - Sleeping Beauty, awakened by the kiss of the prince.
7. "Victory over the monster" - from the name 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.
About a hundred years ago, the playwright Georges Polti compiled his list of subjects from thirty-six points (by the way, the number thirty-six was first proposed by Aristotle and much later supported by Victor Hugo). Thirty-six plots and themes of Polti cover mainly dramaturgy and tragedies. There were disputes around this list, it was repeatedly criticized, but no one tried to protest the number 36 itself.
1. PLEASE. Elements of the situation: 1) the persecutor, 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 that does not immediately decide to defend , hesitant, unsure of herself, which is why she has to beg (thus increasing the emotional impact of the situation), the more she hesitates and does not dare to help. Examples: 1) a fleeing person begs someone who can save him from enemies, 2) begs for shelter in order to die in it, 3) a shipwrecked person asks for shelter, 4) asks for someone in power for dear, close people, 5) asks for one relative for another relative, etc.
2. SALVATION. Elements of the situation: 1) unhappy, 2) threatening, persecuting, 3) savior. This situation differs from the previous one in that there the persecuted resorted to the hesitant power, which had to be pleaded, but here the savior appears unexpectedly and saves the unfortunate without hesitation. Examples: 1) decoupling famous fairy tale about Bluebeard. 2) saving the condemned to death penalty or generally in mortal danger, etc.
3. REVENGE PURSUING 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 on the basis of jealousy.
4. REVENGE OF A CLOSE PERSON FOR ANOTHER CLOSE PERSON OR RELATED PEOPLE. Elements of the situation: 1) living memory about the offense inflicted on another close person, harm, about the victims suffered by him for the sake of his loved ones, 2) a vengeful relative, 3) guilty of these insults, harm, etc. - a relative. Examples: 1) revenge on the father for the mother or mother for the father, 2) revenge on the brothers for their son, 3) father for the husband, 4) husband for the son, etc. A classic example: Hamlet's revenge on his stepfather and mother for his murdered father .
5. Haunted. Elements of the situation: 1) the crime committed or fatal mistake and expected punishment, retribution, 2) hiding from punishment, retribution for a crime or mistake. Examples: 1) persecuted by the authorities for politics (for example, Schiller's "Robbers", 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, alimentary stories, etc.), 4) a hero pursued by a superior force (“Chained Prometheus” by Aeschylus, etc.).
6. SUDDEN DISASTER. Elements of the situation: 1) the victorious enemy, appearing personally; or a messenger bringing terrible news of defeat, collapse, etc., 2) a ruler defeated by a winner or slain by news, a powerful banker, an industrial king, etc. Examples: 1) the fall of Napoleon, 2) Zola's "Money", 3 ) "The End of Tartarin" by Anphonse Daudet, etc.
7. Victim (i.e., someone, the victim of some other person or people, or the victim of some circumstances, some kind of 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) previously loved or close, convinced that he was forgotten, 3) unfortunate, who have lost all hope, etc.
8. REBELLION, REBELLION, REBELLION. Elements of the situation: 1) tyrant, 2) conspirator. Examples: 1) the conspiracy of one (“The Fiesco Conspiracy” by Schiller), 2) the 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 one, 2) the object, that is, what the daring one decides on, 3) the opponent, the opposing person. Examples: 1) the abduction of an object ("Prometheus - the thief of fire" by Aeschylus). 2) enterprises associated with dangers and adventures (Jules Verne's novels, and adventure stories in general), 3) a dangerous enterprise in connection with the desire to achieve a beloved woman, etc.
10. KIDNAPPING. Elements of the situation: 1) the kidnapper, 2) the kidnapped person, 3) protecting the kidnapped person and being an obstacle to the kidnapping or counteracting 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. MYSTERY (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 the 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) under pain of death to solve the riddle (Oedipus and the Sphinx), 4) to force a person to reveal by all sorts of tricks what he wants to hide (name, gender, state of mind etc.)
12. ACHIEVING SOMETHING. Elements of the situation: 1) striving to achieve something, pursuing something, 2) the one on which the achievement of something depends on consent or help, refusing or helping, mediating, 3) there may be a third party that opposes the achievement. Examples: 1) try to get from the owner a thing or some other blessing 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. HATE TO RELATED. Elements of the situation: 1) hater, 2) hated, 3) cause of hatred. Examples: 1) hatred between relatives (for example, brothers) out of envy, 2) hatred between relatives (for example, a son who hates 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 the stepdaughter, etc.
14. COMPETITION OF RELATED. Elements of the situation: 1) one of the relatives is preferred, 2) the other is neglected or abandoned, 3) the subject of rivalry (at the same time, apparently, ups and downs are possible at first, the preferred one turns out to be neglected and vice versa) Examples: 1) rivalry between brothers (“Pierre and Jean "Maupassant), 2) rivalry of sisters, 3) father and son - because of a woman, 4) mother and daughter, 5) rivalry of friends ("Two Veronets" by Shakespeare)
15. ADULTER (i.e., adultery, adultery), LEADING TO MURDER. Elements of the situation: 1) one of the spouses who violates marital fidelity, 2) the other of the spouses is deceived, 3) adultery (that is, someone else is a lover or mistress). Examples: 1) kill or let your lover kill her husband ("Lady Macbeth Mtsensk district" Leskov, "Teresa Raquin" Zola, "The Power of Darkness" 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 (insane), 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 (Elise the Prostitute by Goncourt), a child, 2) in a fit of madness, burn, destroy your own or someone else's work, a work of art, 3) in a drunken state, betray a secret or commit a crime.
17. FATAL NEGLIGENCE. Elements of the situation: 1) careless, 2) a victim of carelessness or a lost object, this is sometimes joined by 3) a good adviser warning against carelessness, or 4) an instigator, or both. Examples: 1) due to negligence, be the cause of one’s own misfortune, dishonor oneself (“Money” by Zola), 2) due to negligence or gullibility, cause misfortune or death of another person close ( Biblical Eve)
18. INWITNESS (out of ignorance) CRIME OF LOVE (in particular, incest). Elements of the situation: 1) lover (husband), mistress (wife), 3) recognition (in case of incest) that they are in a close degree of kinship, which does not allow love relationships 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 a sister (“Messinian bride” by Schiller), 3) a very banal case: find out that the mistress - Married.
19. UNWINNING (out of ignorance) KILLING OF A RELATED. Elements of the situation: 1) killer, 2) unrecognized victim, 3) exposure, recognition. Examples: 1) involuntarily contribute to the murder of his daughter, out of hatred for her lover ("The King is having fun" Hugo, a play based on which the opera "Rigoletto" was made, 2) not knowing his father, kill him ("The freeloader" by Turgenev with the fact that the murder replaced by an insult), etc.
20. SELF-SACRIFICE IN THE NAME OF THE IDEAL. Elements of the situation: 1) a hero sacrificing himself, 2) an ideal (word, duty, faith, conviction, etc.), 3) a sacrifice. Examples: 1) sacrifice your well-being for the sake of duty (“Resurrection” by Tolstoy), 2) sacrifice your life in the name of faith, conviction ...
21. SELF-SACRIFICE FOR THE RELATED. 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) to sacrifice your love for the sake of the child, for the sake of life native person, 3) to sacrifice one's chastity for the sake of the life of a loved one or loved one ("Tosca" to Sordu), 4) to sacrifice one's life for the sake of the life of a loved one, etc.
22. SACRIFICE EVERYTHING - FOR THE SAKE OF PASSION. Elements of the situation: 1) a lover, 2) an object of fatal passion, 3) something that is sacrificed. Examples: 1) a passion that destroys the vow of religious chastity (“Mistake of Abbé Mouret” by Zola), 2) a passion that destroys power, power (“Antony and Cleopatra” by Shakespeare), 3) a 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 running, card game, guilt, etc.
23. SACRIFICE A LOVED PERSON BECAUSE OF NECESSITY, INEVITABILITY. Elements of the situation: 1) a hero who sacrifices a loved one, 2) a loved one who is 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 their adherents for the sake of their faith, conviction (“93 year” Hugo), etc. d.
24. COMPETITION OF UNEQUAL (and also almost equal or equal). Elements of the situation: 1) one opponent (in case of unequal rivalry - inferior, weaker), 2) another opponent (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. ADULTER (adultery, adultery). Elements of the situation: the same as in adultery leading to murder. Not considering adultery capable of creating a situation - by itself, Polti considers it as a special case of theft aggravated by betrayal, while pointing out three possible cases: 1) the lover (tsa) 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, Kreutzer Sonata by L. Tolstoy.
26. CRIME OF LOVE. Elements of the situation: 1) in love (th), 2) beloved (th). 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 Dr. Pascal (in novel of the same name Zola), etc.
27. LEARNING ABOUT THE DISHONOR OF A LOVED OR RELATED (sometimes associated with the fact that the one who found out is forced to pronounce a sentence, punish a loved one or a loved one). Elements of the situation: 1) recognizer, 2) guilty loved one or close, 3) guilt. Examples: 1) learn about the dishonor of his mother, daughter, wife, 2) discover that a 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 his father, etc. .
28. OBSTACLE OF LOVE. Elements of the situation: 1) lover, 2) mistress, 3) obstacle. Examples: 1) a marriage frustrated by social or property inequality, 2) a marriage frustrated by enemies or accidental circumstances, 3) a marriage frustrated by enmity between parents on both sides, 4) a marriage frustrated 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 one who loves the 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 murderer 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 adversary or rival, i.e., a counteracting person. Examples: 1) ambition, greed leading to crimes (“Macbeth” and “Richard 3” by Shakespeare, “The Rougon Career” and “Earth” by Zola), 2) ambition leading to rebellion, 3) ambition that is opposed by a loved one, friend, relative, own supporters, etc.
31. FIGHTING THE GOD (fight against God). Elements of the situation: 1) a person, 2) a god, 3) a reason or an object of struggle. Examples: 1) fighting with God, arguing with him, 2) fighting with those who are faithful to God (Julian the Apostate), etc.
32. UNCONSCIOUS JEYALY, ENVY. Elements of the situation: 1) jealous, envious, 2) the object of his jealousy and envy, 3) the alleged rival, applicant, 4) a reason for delusion or his culprit (traitor). Examples: 1) jealousy is caused by a traitor who is motivated by hatred (“Othello”) 2) a traitor acts out of profit or jealousy (“Cunning and Love” by Schiller), etc.
33. JUDICIAL MISTAKE. Elements of the situation: 1) the one who makes a mistake, 2) the victim of the mistake, 3) the object of the mistake, 4) the true criminal Examples: 1) the mistake of justice is provoked by the enemy ("The Womb of Paris" by Zola), 2) judgement mistake provoked by a loved one, the victim's brother ("Robbers" by Schiller), etc.
34. CONCUSES OF CONSCIENCE. Elements of the situation: 1) the guilty, 2) the victim of the guilty (or his mistake), 3) looking for the guilty, trying to expose him. Examples: 1) remorse of the killer (“Crime and Punishment”), 2) remorse due to a mistake of 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) deceased loved one, 2) lost loved one, 3) responsible for the death of a loved one. Examples: 1) powerless to do something (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) foresee the death of a loved one, 4) find out about the death of an ally, 5) in despair at the death of a loved one, lose all interest in life, sink, etc.
Disputes about how many and what plots exist in literature are still ongoing. Offered different variants, different numbers, but the researchers can not come to a consensus. In principle, each person can find his own versions of this list and, if desired, getting rid of everything superfluous, leaving only the “skeleton”, find confirmation of his version in all works of world literature.
In our research using factor analysis out of 36 stories, only 5 were singled out:
1. Adultery (adultery, treason) with revenge
2. Restoration of justice
3. Search, achievement.
4. Sacrifice in the family and for the sake of the family
5. Sacrifice for an idea.
At least 4 of them are very similar to the stories proposed by Borges.
From the point of view of psychology, the preference or choice of a particular plot in literature or in cinema seems to be a reflection of the minimum state of a person and, as a maximum, his psychological (values, goals, norms, interests, abilities) and psychophysiological (features of perception, information processing depending on the physiological type functioning, from the type of the leading nervous system, the way of responding) of the type of person, the continuation of which is his worldview, which includes "addiction" to certain storylines of life, and literature in particular. In addition, it is interesting to consider the plots that are repeated in all works, as a symbolic reflection of the genetic programs laid down and evaluated in the non-specific part of the nervous system.
Therefore, your preference for plots in connection with psychophysiological data seems interesting.
Analysis.
In this case, this questionnaire should be considered by you as a reflection of your interests in storylines. Your task is to consider the plots closest and most rejected by you in connection with your type of activation. In data analysis, when describing your type, include a description of subjects that are not of interest to you and that are of interest to you, with clarification possible causes this and the connections between them, and also try to generalize the storylines and connect them with your type of activation and other psychological data, that is, explain these relationships.
A. V. Lunacharsky in 1912 published an article "Thirty-six plots", which provides a list of Georges Polti. It's about about a certain magic number"36" is a limit that, according to literary critics, cannot be exceeded when listing the themes of the plots of plays, tragedies, novels. The whole variety of plot variations ultimately comes down to 36 types, which was compiled by J. Polti. Sometimes they refer to Aristotle, who allegedly first established this "limit of tragedies."
Fifth, The final stage amplification can be implemented using this famous list. Any "semantic circle" of exhaustive combinations of possible actions obtained in a live dialogue with the client can be reduced with the help of Husserl's "phenomenological reduction" to one single topic of the list.
The tragic myth is the logical skeleton of life and the forces acting in it! The tragedy describes not the characters of people, not their lyrical moods, but the personified Forces of Life. Knowing the "scheme of collision" of these forces, one can see how fate leads the hero and how the hero freely chooses his fate. To illustrate the work with the list of J. Polti, I would like to take my favorite Verdi opera Aida.
Example 5.6. "Operatic".
The tragedy of Aida and Radames is the Crime of Love. Aida, the captive queen of Ethiopia, fell in love with the enemy, and Radames, the commander of Egypt, betrayed the Motherland for the sake of her beloved, refused the hand of the daughter of Pharaoh Amneris, and also refused to flee with Aida to Ethiopia, which led to the death of both him and Aida. Crime - vicissitudes, pathos. The strongest intensity of feelings during the trial and execution of Radames. Fear and compassion are caused by the act of Radames, who voluntarily surrendered to the priests, acted according to his conscience, but against love. Even more fear and compassion is caused by the act of Aida - she could hide in the confusion, taking advantage of the surrender of Radames, but she voluntarily went to death for the sake of love, forgetting about her father, about the Motherland (queen!), About her young life.
And here they are together in a stone coffin, in a dungeon from which they will not get out, where they will die a painful death. But for them there is no death! They are happy, finding themselves in each other's arms. The most beautiful melody of the last duet of Aida and Radames, framed by the dreary farewell moans of Amneris, completes the tragedy. Catharsis, purification. Everything is ruined for this beautiful young couple. Only one thing remains - Beauty is in everything: beautiful true love, a beautiful end to life, or rather, a short, but absolutely happy life Together, Absolute Intimacy, in a coffin, however, not violated by anyone, even guarded by all the military and spiritual power of Egypt! Beautiful death. Beautiful life after Death in the words given: "O terra addio ..." (Oh, earth, goodbye ...).
The last picture: there are only two on the stage, they are sitting embracing, their thoughts "on the wings of love" are carried away to freedom. There is nothing more valuable in life than love! All values, except love, are transient, they accompany a person only to the grave, and love even after. Conclusion: love stronger than death, it exceeds death.
The name Hades contains both the word "Hades" (God of death, "invisible", Lord of the kingdom of the dead), and the additional "Aaa ..." - openness, space, air, space, "fly away" ... Almost like the Russian "Aida ... in ... "(Voznesensky, "Let's go to the cinema!"). Aida takes Radames out of the bitter labyrinth of painful contradictions - love, betrayal, duty, personal life, power, submission, a bright future, punishment by death, justice and injustice ... Only love can lead a man out of this labyrinth.
Let's remember how it ends famous novels:
"Crime and Punishment" - spring came, Sonya's love poured out on Rodion Raskolnikov and "casuistry honed like a razor" became unnecessary.
"The Master and Margarita" - "Leave them alone," said Woland. And for the Master and Margarita, the long-awaited dawn came, and they went together to their eternal home…»
“Cliff” by I. A. Goncharov - far from Russia, the eternal wanderer Paradise ends his life in love: “Everyone stood behind him and warmly called to him - his three figures: his Vera, his Marfenka, grandmother. And behind them stood and more strongly attracted him to her - another, gigantic figure, another great "grandmother" - Russia.
You can multiply these examples, but it's already clear: love connects two terrible extremes, bridges the huge gap between Life and Death. IN Greek mythology the god Hermes had the ability to "transport" the souls of the dead to realm of the dead, which is why he was called "psychopomp" - the carrier of souls. K. Jung attributed this function of the Conductor between consciousness and the unconscious to the archetypes Anima (for men) and Animus (for women). Anima is the soul of a man, his Eternal Beloved, his Hades. The right death is the one in which his beloved comes to the doomed to death and stays with him forever, embarks on the path to the eternal home, like Margarita. The right death is that which is not in a hurry to snatch the condemned to death from the embraces of her Beloved - Radames or the Master.
Aida is a “psychopomp”, but on the contrary, she brings the thought out of the realm of Hades that got there during the life of the owner, brings the Mind into a state of “self-pressure”, self-awareness, self-sufficiency. In this state, there are no concepts of "death" and "life". “Leave them alone” and only love will remain.
The curve of the meaning of the drama "Crime of Love" in classic plots can go as follows famous topics:
- Love Crime - Romeo and Juliet
- Involuntary Crime - Radames and Aida
- Love is a Crime - Tristan and Isolde
- Death by the Repartition of Love - Ophelia and Hamlet
- Love as lawlessness (above the law) - Christ and the New Testament
- Love is like lawlessness (below the law) - a cadet from the Barber of Siberia.
- Lawlessness of Power ("Love for the people")
- Love is like crazy together
- The Secret Relationship of Love and Death
- Asociality of Love - hippies
- Laughter destruction of the world - sex carnival
- The cruelty of the world love couple.
Love and law are antinomies; they cannot be combined in such a way that one dissolves into the other. If love passes into the law (legal channel), then it weakens, withers and comes to naught. If the law passes into love, then the law itself becomes unnecessary. The world is cruel to a loving couple, so the couple isolates themselves from the world so as not to conflict with the world. If he does not have time to retire, then there comes a crime of love!
main idea, which is born from the stringing of various plots of the drama "The Crime of Love", the following: love is always "lawless", that is, it does not obey any laws, outside the law, above (like Christ) or below. Love expresses the personal principle in a person, since personality is something that does not obey the laws of society, the universe, nature. As a person, a person is always One and does not enter into any system. Personality is the center of the world, "everything revolves" around it, the law and power of life come from it - Dynamos, the prime mover of life (the ancient Greeks, Aristotle), the source of physiological activity (N.A. Bernstein), etc.
Being a personalistic factor, love puts a person in front of a dilemma: "to transgress or not to transgress." If you “do not transgress”, then you will have to fight with love, run away from it, even at the cost of own life, and this is a crime against yourself!
The number of stories in world literature is limited. This fact is faced by almost every person who once decided to take up writing. And this number is not only limited, but also counted! There are several typologies that give a fairly convincing answer to the question: “How many plots are there in total?”
For the first time, the Byzantine writer (and part-time patriarch of Constantinople) Photius became interested in this problem, and back in the 9th century he compiled the Myriobiblion - a collection of brief descriptions of the works of ancient Greek and Byzantine authors, including church, secular, historical literature.
A thousand years later, interest in this problem flared up with renewed vigor, and now the list of plots was sought to be as short as possible!
Jorge Luis Borges stated that there are only four plots and, accordingly, four heroes, whom he described in his novel Four Cycles.
1. The oldest story is the story of 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. A rebel hero, the very fact of whose existence is a challenge to the surrounding reality.
2. The second story is about the 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 the search. This story is somewhat similar to the second, but in this case the hero is not an outcast and does not oppose himself to society. The most famous example of such a hero is Jason, sailing for the Golden Fleece.
4. The fourth story is about the suicide of God. Atys maims and kills himself, Odin sacrifices himself to Odin, to 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 you might guess, the seven basic plots that he believes all the books in the world are based on. the world.
1. "From rags to riches" - the name speaks for itself, the most striking example, familiar to everyone since childhood - Cinderella. Heroes are ordinary people who discover something unusual in themselves, thanks to their own efforts or by coincidence, they find themselves “on top”.
2. "Adventure" - a difficult journey in search of an elusive goal. According to Booker, both Odysseus and Jason fall into this category, in addition, both "King Solomon's Mines" and "Around the World in Eighty Days" fall into this category.
3. "There and back." At the heart of the plot is the attempt of the hero, torn from the familiar world, to return home. In Booker's interpretation, this is Robinson Crusoe, and Alice Through the Looking-Glass, and many others.
4. "Comedy" - A certain type of plot that develops according to its own rules. All Jane Austen novels fall into this category.
5. "Tragedy" - the climax is the death of the protagonist due to any character flaws, usually love passion or a 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 vivid example of this plot is the Sleeping Beauty, awakened by the kiss of the prince.
7. "Victory over the monster" - from the name 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 the playwright Georges Polti, which included thirty-six items (by the way, the first number thirty-six was proposed by Aristotle and much later supported by Victor Hugo). Thirty-six plots and themes of Polti cover mainly dramaturgy and tragedies. There were disputes around this list, it was repeatedly criticized, but almost no one tried to protest the number 36 itself.
1. PLEASE. Elements of the situation: 1) the persecutor, 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 that does not immediately decide to defend , hesitant, unsure of herself, which is why she has to beg (thus increasing the emotional impact of the situation), the more she hesitates and does not dare to help. Examples: 1) a fleeing person begs someone who can save him from enemies, 2) begs for shelter in order to die in it, 3) a shipwrecked person asks for shelter, 4) asks for someone in power for dear, close people, 5) asks for one relative for another relative, etc.
2. SALVATION. Elements of the situation: 1) unhappy, 2) threatening, persecuting, 3) savior. This situation differs from the previous one in that there the persecuted resorted to the hesitant power, which had to be pleaded, but here the savior appears unexpectedly and saves the unfortunate without hesitation. Examples: 1) the denouement of the famous tale of the Bluebeard. 2) saving a person sentenced to death or generally in mortal danger, etc.
3. REVENGE PURSUING 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 on the basis of jealousy.
4. REVENGE OF A CLOSE PERSON FOR ANOTHER CLOSE PERSON OR RELATED PEOPLE. Elements of the situation: 1) a living memory of the offense inflicted on another loved one, harm, of the victims he suffered for the sake of his loved ones, 2) a vengeful relative, 3) the person responsible for these insults, harm, etc. - a relative. Examples: 1) revenge on the father for the mother or mother for the father, 2) revenge on the brothers for their son, 3) father for the husband, 4) husband for the son, etc. A classic example: Hamlet's revenge on his stepfather and mother for his murdered father .
5. Haunted. 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, Schiller's "Robbers", 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, alimentary stories and etc.), 4) a hero pursued by a superior force (“Chained Prometheus” by Aeschylus, etc.).
6. SUDDEN DISASTER. Elements of the situation: 1) the victorious enemy, appearing personally; or a messenger bringing terrible news of defeat, collapse, etc., 2) a ruler defeated by a winner or slain by news, a powerful banker, an industrial king, etc. Examples: 1) the fall of Napoleon, 2) Zola's "Money", 3 ) "The End of Tartarin" by Anphonse Daudet, etc.
7. Victim (i.e., someone, the victim of some other person or people, or the victim of some circumstances, some kind of 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) previously loved or close, convinced that he was forgotten, 3) unfortunate, who have lost all hope, etc.
8. REBELLION, REBELLION, REBELLION. Elements of the situation: 1) tyrant, 2) conspirator. Examples: 1) the conspiracy of one (“The Fiesco Conspiracy” by Schiller), 2) the 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 one, 2) the object, that is, what the daring one decides on, 3) the opponent, the opposing person. Examples: 1) the abduction of an object ("Prometheus - the thief of fire" by Aeschylus). 2) enterprises associated with dangers and adventures (Jules Verne's novels, and adventure stories in general), 3) a dangerous enterprise in connection with the desire to achieve a beloved woman, etc.
10. KIDNAPPING. Elements of the situation: 1) the kidnapper, 2) the kidnapped person, 3) protecting the kidnapped person and being an obstacle to the kidnapping or counteracting 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. MYSTERY (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 the 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) under pain of death to solve the riddle (Oedipus and the Sphinx), 4) to force a person to reveal what he wants to hide by all sorts of tricks (name, gender, state of mind, etc.)
12. ACHIEVING SOMETHING. Elements of the situation: 1) striving to achieve something, pursuing something, 2) the one on which the achievement of something depends on consent or help, refusing or helping, mediating, 3) there may be a third party that opposes the achievement. Examples: 1) try to get from the owner a thing or some other blessing 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. HATE TO RELATED. Elements of the situation: 1) hater, 2) hated, 3) cause of hatred. Examples: 1) hatred between relatives (for example, brothers) out of envy, 2) hatred between relatives (for example, a son who hates 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 the stepdaughter, etc.
14. COMPETITION OF RELATED. Elements of the situation: 1) one of the relatives is preferred, 2) the other is neglected or abandoned, 3) the subject of rivalry (at the same time, apparently, ups and downs are possible at first, the preferred one turns out to be neglected and vice versa) Examples: 1) rivalry between brothers (“Pierre and Jean "Maupassant), 2) rivalry of sisters, 3) father and son - because of a woman, 4) mother and daughter, 5) rivalry of friends ("Two Veronets" by Shakespeare)
15. ADULTER (i.e., adultery, adultery), LEADING TO MURDER. Elements of the situation: 1) one of the spouses who violates marital fidelity, 2) the other of the spouses is deceived, 3) adultery (that is, someone else is a lover or mistress). Examples: 1) kill or let your lover kill her husband (“Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” by Leskov, “Teresa Raken” 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 (insane), 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 (Elise the Prostitute by Goncourt), a child, 2) in a fit of madness, burn, destroy your own or someone else's work, a work of art, 3) in a drunken state, betray a secret or commit a crime.
17. FATAL NEGLIGENCE. Elements of the situation: 1) careless, 2) a victim of carelessness or a lost object, this is sometimes joined by 3) a good adviser warning against carelessness, or 4) an instigator, or both. Examples: 1) due to negligence, be the cause of one’s own misfortune, dishonor oneself (“Money” by Zola), 2) due to negligence or gullibility, cause misfortune or death of another person close (Biblical Eve)
18. INWITNESS (out of ignorance) 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 kinship, which does not allow love relationships in accordance with 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 a sister (“Messinian bride” by Schiller), 3) a very banal case: find out that the mistress - Married.
19. UNWINNING (out of ignorance) KILLING OF A RELATED. Elements of the situation: 1) killer, 2) unrecognized victim, 3) exposure, recognition. Examples: 1) involuntarily contribute to the murder of his daughter, out of hatred for her lover ("The King is having fun" Hugo, a play based on which the opera "Rigoletto" was made, 2) not knowing his father, kill him ("The freeloader" by Turgenev with the fact that the murder replaced by an insult), etc.
20. SELF-SACRIFICE IN THE NAME OF THE IDEAL. Elements of the situation: 1) a hero sacrificing himself, 2) an ideal (word, duty, faith, conviction, etc.), 3) a sacrifice. Examples: 1) sacrifice your well-being for the sake of duty (“Resurrection” by Tolstoy), 2) sacrifice your life in the name of faith, conviction ...
21. SELF-SACRIFICE FOR THE RELATED. 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 a loved one (“The Zemgano Brothers” by Goncourt), 2) sacrifice your love for the sake of a child, for the life of a loved one, 3) sacrifice your chastity for the life of a loved one or loved one (“Tosca” by Sordu ), 4) to sacrifice life for the life of a loved one, etc.
22. SACRIFICE EVERYTHING - FOR THE SAKE OF PASSION. Elements of the situation: 1) a lover, 2) an object of fatal passion, 3) something that is sacrificed. Examples: 1) a passion that destroys the vow of religious chastity (“Mistake of Abbé Mouret” by Zola), 2) a passion that destroys power, power (“Antony and Cleopatra” by Shakespeare), 3) a 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 running, playing cards, wine, etc.
23. SACRIFICE A LOVED PERSON BECAUSE OF NECESSITY, INEVITABILITY. Elements of the situation: 1) a hero who sacrifices a loved one, 2) a loved one who is 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 their adherents for the sake of their faith, conviction (“93 year” Hugo), etc. d.
24. COMPETITION OF UNEQUAL (and also almost equal or equal). Elements of the situation: 1) one opponent (in case of unequal rivalry - inferior, weaker), 2) another opponent (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. ADULTER (adultery, adultery). Elements of the situation: the same as in adultery leading to murder. Not considering adultery capable of creating a situation - by itself, Polti considers it as a special case of theft aggravated by betrayal, while pointing out three possible cases: 1) the lover (tsa) 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, Kreutzer Sonata by L. Tolstoy.
26. CRIME OF LOVE. Elements of the situation: 1) in love (th), 2) beloved (th). 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 Dr. Pascal (in Zola's novel of the same name), etc.
27. LEARNING ABOUT THE DISHONOR OF A LOVED OR RELATED (sometimes associated with the fact that the one who found out is forced to pronounce a sentence, punish a loved one or a loved one). Elements of the situation: 1) recognizer, 2) guilty loved one or close, 3) guilt. Examples: 1) learn about the dishonor of his mother, daughter, wife, 2) discover that a 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 his father, etc. .
28. OBSTACLE OF LOVE. Elements of the situation: 1) lover, 2) mistress, 3) obstacle. Examples: 1) a marriage frustrated by social or property inequality, 2) a marriage frustrated by enemies or accidental circumstances, 3) a marriage frustrated by enmity between parents on both sides, 4) a marriage frustrated 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 one who loves the 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 murderer 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 adversary or rival, i.e., a counteracting person. Examples: 1) ambition, greed leading to crimes (“Macbeth” and “Richard 3” by Shakespeare, “The Rougon Career” and “Earth” by Zola), 2) ambition leading to rebellion, 3) ambition that is opposed by a loved one, friend, relative, own supporters, etc.
31. FIGHTING THE GOD (fight against God). Elements of the situation: 1) a person, 2) a god, 3) a reason or an object of struggle. Examples: 1) fighting with God, arguing with him, 2) fighting with those who are faithful to God (Julian the Apostate), etc.
32. UNCONSCIOUS JEYALY, ENVY. Elements of the situation: 1) jealous, envious, 2) the object of his jealousy and envy, 3) the alleged rival, applicant, 4) a reason for delusion or his culprit (traitor). Examples: 1) jealousy is caused by a traitor who is motivated by hatred (“Othello”) 2) a 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 judicial error was provoked by an enemy (“The Womb of Paris” by Zola), 2) a judicial error was provoked by a loved one, the brother of the victim (“Robbers” by Schiller), etc.
34. CONCUSES OF CONSCIENCE. Elements of the situation: 1) the guilty, 2) the victim of the guilty (or his mistake), 3) looking for the guilty, trying to expose him. Examples: 1) remorse of the killer (“Crime and Punishment”), 2) remorse due to a mistake of 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) deceased loved one, 2) lost loved one, 3) responsible for the death of a loved one. Examples: 1) powerless to do something (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) foresee the death of a loved one, 4) find out about the death of an ally, 5) in despair at the death of a loved one, lose all interest in life, sink, etc.
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To be honest, it seems to me that Polti compiled his list too broadly, too broadly, and although I have studied this list more than once, I was interested in it, but 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 from the typologies and lists that existed before, 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 encountered plots, the most popular, to which, however, most works of literature, dramaturgy and cinematography are reduced. Moreover, I will describe basic themes, not in general terms, but to be specific.
So, the main plots, according to Max Akimov, are twelve:
FIRST plot, the most hackneyed - Cinderella. It is very stable, all variations fit into a clear plot outline"reference". The plot is loved by the authors of women's literature, often used by screenwriters of melodramas. There are a huge number of examples.
SECOND plot - The Count of Monte Cristo is a secret hero who becomes apparent towards the end of the play, from somewhere receiving wealth, or opportunities. His mission is to take revenge, or to do justice! The plot is very fond of the authors of adventure novels and detective stories. It appeared long before Alexandre Dumas, but this novelist most successfully “lit up” this plot, and after him, many used and used the above-named plot.
THIRD plot - Odyssey. This story can be called the first, it is extremely popular. Variations based on it can be different, but you just have to take a closer look, and the ears stick out quite clearly. Fiction writers, fantasy writers, authors of adventure literature, travel novels and some other genres are very fond of this ancient plot, and sometimes copy the details ancient Greek history, which can be conditionally considered the starting, reference.
FOURTH plot - Anna Karenina. Tragic love triangle. Has roots in ancient Greek tragedies, but Lev Nikolaevich managed to write it out most vividly 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 first names, historical scenery and other surroundings, I saw several). But there are many talented variations on this theme.
FIFTH plot - Hamlet. Strong personality with a moving mind. A broken hero, reflective and bright, fighting for justice, having tasted the betrayal of loved ones and other delights. Nothing, in the end, not achieving, only able to torture himself, but to achieve some spiritual enlightenment and purification, which encourages the viewer. Interesting as hell.
There is nothing to comment here. The plot is stable, very popular, there is a lot of Dostoevism in it, (native and close to the Russian heart, and to me in particular). At the present moment this plot popular as ever.
SIXTH plot - Romeo and Juliet. Story happy love. Total the 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 the fingers. However, in current serials, in fiction (especially women's), in dramaturgy and songwriting, the plot is unusually popular.
The plot, again, is extremely stable, as it has gone from antiquity to the present day, there are few special variations.
SEVENTH plot - Fathers and sons. Its origins are ancient Greek, the plot is complex, and now there is a lot of room for variations in it. This can also be conditionally attributed to the story of the bride of Jason, who is forced to choose between her father and the groom, to sacrifice one of them. In short, the whole variety of parental selfishness colliding with the selfishness of children describes this ancient tangle of plots, similar friend 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 has jinxed our entire human race. Ask King Lear, he will tell you).
EIGHTH plot - Robinson. It partly echoes Hamlet, primarily in the sound of the theme of loneliness, and a little with Odysseus, but the story of Robinson can still be called a separate big plot of world literature. Current writers and screenwriters often copy, word for word, the work of Daniel Defoe. But there are many talented and original variations. The hero, most often, is absolutely alone on the island, but this is not required condition, it happens that several heroes find themselves in some kind of isolation from big world trying to survive and remain individuals in order to eventually be saved. My favorite variation is the story of Saltykov-Shchedrin "How one man fed two generals."
NINTH story - Trojan theme, the theme of war. Confrontation of two systems, enmity and hatred, flip side which is nobility and self-denial. This plot, as a rule, is superimposed on other plots, or they are superimposed on it, but classic military novels, descriptions of wars in detail, with varying degrees of artistry, are also not uncommon. An organic part of this category of plots is the plot "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 way of thinking, a struggle intense, obvious, throwing call.
TENTH plot - Catastrophe and its consequences. Classical antique plot. At the present time, he was dragged so that it is reluctant to speak. There are a lot of mediocre copies, but occasionally there are also curious 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 fair, almost everyone next novel repeats the previous one, even if you don’t go to a fortuneteller!
ELEVENTH plot - Ostap Bender - a picaresque novel, an adventurous novel. Sources and classic examples - in the literature of France of the New Time. Extremely popular these days, most often comedic. The tangle of plots is quite bright, and successful variations often come across, but all of them, one way or another, copy a couple of templates created at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Numerous novels, novellas and stories that exploit the image of an ironic private detective (or investigator) who acts as “Ostap Bender in reverse” can be conditionally attributed to the similarity of the same plot. Nowadays, a certain “picaresque detective” (sometimes a “picaresque action movie”) is popular and in demand, the main character of which solves crimes or scams (and sometimes secrets of the past).
This plot is often supplemented literary device, which can be conditionally called a “rebus story”, most television series (detective format) are built on it, as well as many book series, which are laid out in abundance on store shelves.
TWELVE plot - Time machine, journey into the future. His mirror reflection- stylization of travel to the past, historical novels. However this species works, as a rule, uses “journey into the past” only as an entourage, and the plot is one of those that I listed above, while “journey into the future” is often a “pure plot”, that is, its essence boils down precisely to the description Togo, how it all works there in this unknown future.
Well, this is sample list the most frequently used, frequently touched upon plots by writers. Often plots come across in a standard form, but the writer who is smarter, who has read a lot, he, 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 phenomenon as plotless prose, something like a story-sketches, a novel-sketches (these genres can be defined in different ways). The literary merits of such texts are different, sometimes not bad, they can sound philosophical motives, imitation of Ovid, etc.
But still, there are often quite distinct modifications of the twelve plots that I have listed.
Theme with variations
If you've ever watched the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray (or Beware the Doors Are Closing!, The Butterfly Effect, Back to the Future...), then you already know what a theme with variations is.
In these films, with each twist in the plot, the images of the characters or the circumstances in which these characters find themselves are modified, but at the same time something always remains unchanged.
Wherever the action takes place - in the present, past or future - a trailer with manure still overturns on Marty McFly's enemies; the heroine Gwyneth Paltrow in both scenarios meets her future boyfriend; weather reporter Phil Connors wakes up again and again in his hotel room in Punxsutawney on Groundhog Day, February 2, and most of the events that await him on this day, he has already learned by heart, although thanks to his intervention they “sound” every time in a new way.
Approximately according to the same principle (not literally, of course :) musical variations, only in them undergoes transformations musical theme. In each variant (=variation), it is colored with new colors, and ideally, it also turns with new facets, acquires new features (in this case, it is not possible to follow its metamorphoses).
Pieces written in the form of a theme with variations are just a godsend for i-virtuosos, who find it profitable to shine by presenting to the listener everything they are capable of at once (, various brilliant ...)
Although, of course, the task before the performer here is not only technical. After all, good variations also imply a variety of artistic, images, characters, moods: here you need to be a violinist, an artist and an artist at the same time, to be able to transform.
Variations of Paganini, Ernst, Khandoshkin
Paganini was very fond of variations. Already in its first solo concert, which he gave at the age of 11, he played, among other things, his own variations on the revolutionary song "Carmagnola". Later, Paganini composed many variations on romantic themes: among them are “The Witch” on a theme from the ballet “The Wedding of Benevento” by Süssmayr, “Prayer” on one string on a theme from the opera “Moses” by Rossini, “At the hearth I no longer feel sad” on a theme from the opera “Cinderella” by Rossini, “ Trembling of the Heart" on a theme from the opera "Tancred" by Rossini, "How the Heart Stops" on a theme from the opera "The Beautiful Miller's Woman" by Paisiello. The most “armor-piercing” Paganinian variations in terms of technique are on the theme of the English anthem “God Save the Queen!”
The famous 24th Paganini, by the way, also consists entirely of variations. The theme of the caprice - impudent, rebellious - undoubtedly should have been to the taste of the Carbonari at one time. It is followed by variations that reveal the potential of the theme with different sides. The first - sparkling volatile beads fall in cascades, the second - a gloomy minor lace with sharp ones is woven, the third - a lyrical sad melody performed by deep ones. And then seven more variations, including variations, and with the left hand, and the final of and broken lines, forming, as it were, several “terraces”. All this should not just be played, but so that the listener feels as if he is being led through the enfilades of the same building: there must be development, forward movement and a convincing conclusion.
Another famous virtuoso of past eras, Heinrich Ernst, also could not pass by the genre of theme with variations. He left us the "Last Rose of Summer", which now (together with "God Save the Queen!") scare beginner violinists, and the audience at the same time. This piece, which is extremely difficult to perform, is based on the theme of the Scottish song of the same name, with lyrics by Thomas More. Those who are not enthusiastic about the technical "bells and whistles" of "Rose" vindictively call her stupid in content and poor in music. But they are unfair to Rosa. After all, the main thing for variations in it is - lovely theme. There is also a plot that is quite capable of fueling the imagination. If you read carefully, and then work on the image, phrasing, while listening to the same song in other traditions (performed by Clannad eg... or opera diva Lily Pons, or Deanna Durbin...) - then the game with this piece will be completely different. But in order for it to give pleasure, it is necessary, of course, to emphasize the theme, to play it with a beautiful sound, despite all the and wrapped around it. That is, you still need it sing…
The "Russian Paganini" Khandoshkin was also a fan of virtuoso variations. He took Russians as a topic folk songs, which acquired under his fingers a new, seemingly unusual brilliance and color. The song “There was a birch in the field” sounded temperamentally and almost rebelliously - we probably would not have guessed about its nature without Khandoshkin.
Philosophical variations
Not only the most virtuosic, but also the deepest in content violin works (Corelli's Folia, Bach's Chaconne) are written in the form of variations.
The philosophical potential of variations is great because, after all, life itself is multivariate. And although in reality we have to choose only one of the existing options (that is, we are deprived of the opportunity to see life in all its diversity), in music you can do otherwise. Watching how the same topic develops in different planes, we can come to a lot of interesting thoughts and even - who knows? - perhaps it is better to understand the structure of all living things.
