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Fleming,
Jane Austen, Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Story-Building
Terry Richard Bazes
Rosencrantz &
Guildenstern Publishers
September 1, 2015/ ISBN 978-0692399569
Nonfiction / How To
Reviewed
by Linda Morelli
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Gustave Freytag created a story
pyramid, wherein he divided stories into five parts: the introduction,
rise, climax, fall and catastrophe. Bazes application of Freytag’s
pyramid to a James Bond thriller, a classic Regency romance
and a 20th century black comedy, illustrates how we can apply
Freytag’s pyramid to novels and better understand the
importance of conflict in plotting in the novels we read or
write.
Bazes states that Ian Fleming always includes Bond, a villain
and a beautiful female in each novel. Bond and the villain
are vital -- their conflict creates an absorbing plot. Bazes
proposes that Fleming worked from the final conflict and created
increasingly dangerous situations to build suspense. Female
characters provide a titillating promise of sex, and secondary
characters are used to reveal danger and foreshadowing. Once
Bond meets his adversary, he moves from investigator to super
hero. Being a super hero, the novels have only external conflict.
Bond kills his adversary because he must, and we know he'll
survive to fight again. It’s the mystery, fast paced
action and sex that keep us hooked.
Pride and Prejudice, however, is loaded with internal
conflict. Elizabeth and Darcy are drawn to each other, but
several secondary characters create obstacles in their path.
The author crafted a satisfying resolution between Elizabeth
and Darcy because, Bases points out, Austen carefully plotted
from the final outcome backward so she could create those
vital obstacles. In the end, the characters’ emotions
are predominant: Darcy overcomes his pride and Elizabeth her
prejudice.
Bazes proposes that, by analyzing stories, we can “unlock
the treasure chest inside ourselves” that contains our
own stories. Plot fiction like the masters is excellently
written and an important source for writers, teachers, students
and readers alike. It’s also one I highly recommend
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