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View Full Version : Kurt Vonnegut on the Shapes of Stories



Chris
02-10-2015, 12:35 PM
From Kurt Vonnegut graphed the world’s most popular stories (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/02/09/kurt-vonnegut-graphed-the-worlds-most-popular-stories/)


Vonnegut plotted stories on a vertical “G-I axis,” representing the good or ill fortunes of the main character, and a horizontal “B-E” axis that represented the course of the story from beginning to end.

http://i.snag.gy/2BGON.jpg

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http://i.snag.gy/SoM2A.jpg

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http://i.snag.gy/LHwhB.jpg

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http://i.snag.gy/HymP1.jpg

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http://i.snag.gy/cPZb9.jpg

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP3c1h8v2ZQ

Common Sense
02-10-2015, 02:29 PM
Story arcs always interest me...sometimes films rely far too much on them. There's nothing worse than a blatantly predictable film or story. Well, I guess there are worse things, but...

Chris
02-10-2015, 03:10 PM
Aren't story arcs time x tension/conflict:

http://i.snag.gy/gi3nu.jpg

Vonnegut's seem a variation on them, a humorous one.