That Without Which There Would Be No Story
by James Bonnet
In an earlier segment, we discussed how the threat (the inciting action) was at the very heart of the high concept great idea. In this segment we’ll reveal how the threat is related to the problem,the change of fortune, and the components of the classical structure – i.e. the complications, crisis, climax, and resolution – all of which constitute the very essence of story – that without which there would be no story.
Stories are about changes of state and the problems that bring them about. There is an entity and that entity goes from a desirable to an undesirable condition or the reverse. Or as Aristotle put it: “The proper magnitude (of a story) is comprised within such limits that the sequence of events, according to the laws of probability and necessity, will admit of a change from bad fortune to good or from good fortune to bad.”
In The Exorcist, a little girl is possessed by the Devil and a state of misfortune exists. Then the principal action, casting out the Devil, brings about a state of good fortune. On the downside, it’s the reverse. In Othello, a state of good fortune exists at the beginning. The principal action, perpetrated by Iago, destroys the Moor with jealousy and a state of tragic misfortune is the result.
The threat is the agent or perpetrator which creates the problem that brings about the negative state. In Kiss the Girls, the serial killer is the threat and the act of murder is the inciting action which creates the problem that brings about the change to a state of misfortune.
Equally significant in a great story is the fact that this threat will become the source of resistance that opposes the action when someone tries to solve this problem and restore a state of good fortune. And this resistance will create the classical structure that occurs when a problem solving action encounters resistance.
In Harry Potter, Voldemort is the threat. His efforts to take possession of the wizard world create the problem that brings about an undesirable state. And he will be the source of the resistance that creates the classical structure whenever Harry tries to solve these problems and restore a state of good fortune.
In The Exorcist, the Devil is the threat. He takes possession of a young girl and that is the inciting action that creates the problem and brings about the change of fortune. And he is the source of resistance that creates the complications, crisis, climax and resolution when the priest tries to solve that problem.
In Ordinary People, the mother is the cause of the problem that has brought about the negative state. And she will be the source of resistance when the psychiatrist, Judd Hirsh, and the boy’s father, Donald Sutherland, attempt to solve the mystery of the boy’s suicidal tendencies.
In Jaws, the shark is the threat that causes the problem. In Dracula, it’s the count. In On the Waterfront, it’s Johnny Friendly. In Gladiator, it’s Commodus. In Braveheart, it’s the Britsh. In The Iliad, it is the Trojan, Paris. In the Egyptian myth of OSIRIS, it’s Osiris’ brother Set.
In all of these cases, the threat performs the action which creates the problem that brings about the change of fortune and also is the source of resistance that creates the classical structure when someone tries to solve the problem and reverse the state of misfortune.
You can see this same pattern at work in real life as well. In World War II, Hitler was the threat and his “taking possession of Europe” created the problem and the state of misfortune. He was also the source of the resistance that created the complications, crisis, climaxes and resolutions of the classical structure when the Allies tried to solve this problem.
In our latest war, this is also very evident. Osama Bin Laden, his Al Qaeda terrorist network, and the Taliban are the threat. Their attack on the World Trade Center is the inciting action which created the problem that brought a very undesirable state of fear to the United States. And they will be the source of resistance that creates the classical structure as we try to solve this problem.
In all of these examples, the threat is the cause of the problem that brings about a change of fortune, and is the source of the resistance that creates the classical structure when the good guys try to solve the problem. And the problem, change of fortune, and components of the classical structure constitute the very essence of story — that without which there would be no story.
If you think about it, this is easy to see. Without a problem and change of fortune, there is no story. If the story ends in the same place it began without some significant progress up or down, the audience will wonder what the point of it was. It will be a very unsatisfactory experience. Without complications and a crisis, there is no story. If Cinderella goes to the ball, falls in love with the prince and marries him without a single hitch, or if Indiana Jones goes after the Holy Grail and finds it without running into any difficulty whatsoever, there is no story. The audience is left muttering: So what? And if there are complications and a crisis but no climax and no resolution, you will have the same problem. You will leave your audience feeling completely unfulfilled. They will have the distinct feeling that the story was left unfinished.
The threat, then, is not only to the heart of the high concept great idea, it creates the problem that brings about the change of fortune and provides the resistance that creates the classical structure all of which constitute the very essence of story – that without which there would be no story. And an element which does all that is an element worth thinking about and understanding.
