[Jack Simth]

*shrug* how many basic plots there are is up for debate - with the primary argument being "how similar can they be before we say they are the same plot?" A lot of the cloning is due to laziness - an artist wants something that sells, and sees that this other thing is selling, so he makes his own Version of it - but when similar plots are developed on opposite sides of the world before reasonable world wide travel or communication is in place? That pretty much rules out laziness. And yet, it's happened.

As for random plots, well, you are throwing those random elements into some framework (or, perhaps, another randomly selected framework) - and most of those who categorize plots by Greek plays (or however) aren't so much looking at the specific setting (fantasy/sci-fi/Greek Gods/whatever), nor the characters (Bilbo Baggins/James T. Kirk/Hercules/whoever), nor even the species of the characters (elven/alien/human/whatever) - they tend to classify elements by how they fit into the plot (the mentor/the hero/the villian/whatever), and the whole by a general outline of the plot (the rescue/the war/the coming of age/whatever). Such a random plot is going to fit into a Category, pretty much regardless. Granted, you will get a gargantuan number of variations on those plots, many of which are interesting, and keep them fresh for a long time - but when it comes down to it, they are all variations on a limited number of themes; they aren't fundamentally new plots.

[ June 10, 2004, 18:30: Message edited by: Jack Simth ]