imo, there are only 3... and they were painted on their authors' cave walls long ago... everything written since, is just creative plagiarism... they are: man vs god man vs man man vs self here's what's wrong with that list you linked to: [wo]man vs. nature [= god] [wo]man vs. man [wo]man vs. the environment [= nature, thus god] [wo]man vs. machines/technology [= man, since it's generated by them] [wo]man vs. the supernatural [= god] [wo]man vs. self [wo]man vs. god/religion
Wiki lists those as types of conflict rather than plot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_%28narrative%29 There's no consensus about how many basic plot types there are, and you'll find suggestions for various numbers on the internet. Personally, I found Christopher Booker's The Seven Basic Plots useful. He identifies seven basic plot types: - Overcoming the monster - Rags to riches - The quest - Voyage and return - Comedy - Tradegy - Rebirth I don't doubt that it's possible to group stories differently and come up with a different number, but I thought his book was a pretty good treatment of the subject of plot all the same. Cheers, Rob
