1. The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations

    The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations is a descriptive list which was created by Georges Polti to categorize every dramatic situation that might occur in a story or performance. To do this Polti analyzed classical Greek texts, plus classical and contemporaneous French works. He also analyzed a handful of non-French authors. In his introduction, Polti claims to be continuing the work of Carlo Gozzi, who also identified 36 situations.

    Georges Polti’s 36 Dramatic Situations

    Here are his 36 situation, including a discussion on each one:
    1. Supplication
    2. Deliverance
    3. Vengeance of a crime
    4. Vengeance taken for kindred upon kindred
    5. Pursuit
    6. Disaster
    7. Falling prey to cruelty or misfortune
    8. Revolt
    9. Daring enterprise
    10. Abduction
    11. Enigma
    12. Obtaining
    13. Enmity of kinsmen
    14. Rivalry of kinsmen
    15. Murderous adultery
    16. Madness
    17. Fatal imprudence
    18. Involuntary crimes of love
    19. Slaying of a kinsman unrecognized
    20. Self-sacrificing for an ideal
    21. Self-sacrifice for kindred
    22. All sacrificed for a passion
    23. Necessity of sacrificing loved ones
    24. Rivalry of superior and inferior
    25. Adultery
    26. Crimes of love
    27. Discovery of the dishonor of a loved one
    28. Obstacles to love
    29. An enemy loved
    30. Ambition
    31. Conflict with a god
    32. Mistaken jealousy
    33. Erroneous judgment
    34. Remorse
    35. Recovery of a lost one
    36. Loss of loved ones

And, then, you were all...

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  3. judkins reblogged this from merlin and added:
    is a descriptive list which was created by Georges Polti to categorize every dramatic situation that might occur in a...
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  7. jkbc reblogged this from merlin and added:
    This makes me wish I was taking AP English all over again. Sometimes I miss critical writing about various literature.
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  9. sostark reblogged this from travisekmark and added:
    Fatal Imprudence Is by far my favorite. merlin: The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations is a descriptive list which was...
  10. wessf reblogged this from merlin and added:
    Fascinating that someone took the initiative to create this list - I don’t even feel the urge to read through them all...
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  14. jeremysgriffin reblogged this from merlin and added:
    Thanks, Mr. Mann, for giving me the final inspiration I needed for my NaNoWriMo idea.