I agree with much that you say, Liobhan. I think that we want to find patterns in stories and we search for what we desire. I also agree that we search for characters we can attach ourselves to, normally human beings, but water rats will do in a pinch. :) Characterization, in my opinion, generally makes the story; a good plot with conflict should exist, but a well-designed plot defines the character as much as takes us from A to Z.

Where we might depart is on a point of emphasis. Over-generalizations aren't particularly helpful, I agree, but I think it can be instructive to look at a proper list of plot devices, dissect them. figure out why, over the millennia and across myriad cultures, they work, and they endure. Some see plot devices as a cheat sheet, or a guide, or a helpful list of hints, which they can be, of course. In that sense, as you point out, they can be limiting, but I can also see them as a glimpse into what makes us tick.

Consider: Is it possible to define a failed story as one that ultimately produces boredom or dissatisfaction?

I think that a sufficiently detailed plot device is like a guide through the human mind, leading us to a specific type of satisfaction. Romantic satisfaction is different than the satisfaction one receives after a revenge or solving a crime, but the principle is the same.

Taking a couple of plot devices from the Ronald B. Tobias list:

[Adventure: similar to a quest, but the key is exploring a weird and wonderful world. There's a sense of awe. It resembles a quest plot, but unlike the quest, which is more of a character plot, the adventure is more action than introspection. Ex: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

1. The focus should be more on the journey than the person making the journey.
2. It should concentrate of new and exciting places.
3. The protagonist goes in search of wealth or fame that could never be found at home.
4. The main character should be motivated by someone or some event to start him on his way.
5. The actions and his adventures should be related to what made him go on the journey in the first place.
6. The hero doesn't have to change to any meaningful degree.
7. There is often romance.]

The adventure plot is meant to give the reader the satisfaction of having gone on a great adventure. On an adventure, one sees new and exiting places. There must be a logical reason to go on an adventure, and need is a greater and more interesting motivator than curiosity or an annoying job. Relating the need to go on the adventure with his actions and experiences keeps the story on track. Romance on the road is especially poignant and exotic (interesting). It all hangs together. Everything I see here strikes a resonant chord. I see, not just a list of things to do because it's always been done that way, but why this way has worked.

[Maturation: It's a transformation story of sorts, but concentrates on the process of growing up. A child becomes a man or woman by meeting certain crisis in a way that makes them become an adult, often sadder but wiser.

1. The protagonist is on the cusp of adulthood, whose goals are either confused or not yet clarified.
2. Make sure the readers know who the protagonist is so they have a good basis to understand the changes.
3. Contrast the child's protected life to the life he or she is about to enter as an adult.
4. Create an incident which challenges her beliefs and understandings of how the world works.
5. Show how she reacts to it, then show how her thinking and beliefs change because of it.
6. The change within her should be gradual, not sudden, and it must be convincing. It also must be from a child's point of view, not an adult's.
7. At the end, demonstrate the psychological costs of the lessons learned.]

This plot is designed to bring us back to that fascinating and critical time, the end of childhood and the beginning of adult life -- which we all can relate to.

Once this is understood, it becomes clear that each step in the sequence is intended to concentrate our minds on just this aspect.

In many cases, I don't think it's a bad idea for a writer to start with the emotion they want to produce, setting up a specific ending scene and then working backwards to find a way to get there.

Regards,

Aardvark

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

Mahatma Gandhi

...with him. He's spot on. It's mainly just a question of how does one telescope the complexes that are stories, and what sorts of systems does one end up with as a result. Dr. Campbell's system resulted in a way of seeing the similarities between all cultures, and fed/was fed by a view that all human cultures, being made up of humans as they are, share a commonality of features. That doesn't mean that their stories are all >exactly< the same, just that every >satisfying< story will share some of a set of elements that are common across all human cultures. He did brilliant work, and advanced the study of literature, both written and oral, and of myth (and even theology) immeasurably, and his further efforts will be missed.

On the other hand, just because Plato (or Kong Fu-zi) has written, doesn't mean that the rest of us can't write too, and even disagree with what has been written before. Just be prepared to back up claims with good argumentation. Or a divine mandate. If you've got one of those (and can demonstrate it!) I'm not going to argue too much. No way. :-P :-)
-Liz