30.11.11

I am unsure that "the problem with TV shows these days is that they recycle plots and gags from old TV shows" is a valid critical argument. Is the problem with The Brothers Karamazov that it steals the "innocent son comes to angst over dead father" plot from Hamlet? Or could we perhaps concede that tropes and jokes and plots will be repeated because it's in the nature of telling stories to do so, and what matters is less the originality of said plot devices than the skill with which they are executed?

1 comment:

FLG said...

My creative writing professor told the class on the first day that there's only like 5 basic stories that are timeless - Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. Boy goes out into the wilderness. I forget the rest he said, but he was right. There's only like 5 basic stories.