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An attempt to enumerate the Ur-plots...

What qualifies a plot as a Master Plot? Hard to say. Let's take Tobias' list as a kicking off point. He contends there are twenty basic stories. Any of these can be used in genre.

1. Quest
2. Adventure
3. Pursuit
4. Rescue
5. Escape
6. The Riddle
7. Rivalry
8. Underdog
9. Temptation
10. Metamorphosis
11. Transformation
12. Maturation
13. Love
14. Forbidden Love
15. Sacrifice
16. Discovery
17. Wretched Excess
18. Vengeance
19. Ascension
20. Descension

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from: Tobias, Ronald B. 20 Master Plots. Cincinnati: Writer's Digest Books, 1993. (ISBN 0-89879-595-8)

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Compare Booker's The Seven Basic Plots.

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