The 7 Grand Narratives

During one of the lectures given in the week the model of "7 Grand Narratives" was spoken about. I write various notes on it, and on reflection realised how important this was to me....and how this could be feed through all work both theory and practical based. 

These 7 grand narratives is a good starting to point which the journalistic model of the 5W's and 1H system comes in to play, and allows you to use 1 ideas and explore it 6 different ways. 

The 7 Grand Narratives are: 

1. Over Coming The Monster

• A terrifying, all-powerful, life-threatening monster whom the hero must confront in a fight to the death. An example of this plot is seen in Beowulf, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Dracula, The Silence of the Lambs, Dracula, Jaws, Hansel and Gretel.

2. Rags to Riches

• Someone who has seemed to the world quite commonplace is shown to have been hiding a second, more exceptional self within. Think the ugly duckling, Jane Eyre and Clark Kent.

• Aladdin, Cinderella, Great Expectations.

3. The Quest

• From the moment the hero learns of the priceless goal, he sets out on a hazardous journey to reach it. Examples are seen in The Odyssey, The Aeneid, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

• The Lord of the Rings, Apocalypse Now, Raiders of the Lost Ark,

4. Voyage and Return

• The hero or heroine and a few companions travel out of the familiar surroundings into another world completely cut off from the first. While it is at first marvellous, there is a sense of increasing peril. After a dramatic escape, they return to the familiar world where they began. Alice in Wonderland and The Time Machine are obvious examples; but Brideshead Revisited and Gone with the Wind also embody this basic plotline.

• Alice in Wonderland, Gulliver's Travels, Back to the Future, the Wizard of Oz.

5. Comedy 

• Following a general chaos of misunderstanding, the characters tie themselves and each other into a knot that seems almost unbearable; however, to universal relief, everyone and everything gets sorted out, bringing about the happy ending. Shakespeare’s comedies come to mind, as do Jane Austen’s perfect novels.

• All’s Well That Ends Well, When Harry Met Sally, Some Like It Hot.

6. Tragedy 

• A character through some flaw or lack of self-understanding is increasingly drawn into a fatal course of action which leads inexorably to disaster. King Lear, Madame Bovary, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Bonnie and Clyde—all flagrantly tragic.

• Hamlet. Carlito’s Way, Macbeth, Oedipus the King.

7. Rebirth

• There is a mounting sense of threat as a dark force approaches the hero until it emerges completely, holding the hero in its deadly grip. Only after a time, when it seems that the dark force has triumphed, does the reversal take place. The hero is redeemed, usually through the life-giving power of love. Many fairy tales take this shape; also, works like Silas Marner and It’s a Wonderful Life.

• A Christmas Carol, Beauty and the Beast.

As well as having 7 grand narratives, which can also be identified in the lovemark, and Propps' theory. There is always the counter to this, being Aristotles 6 dramatic element of drama.

I aim to apply this to the YCN brief that I have chosen to work on and also the Project Brief with MA Management