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Dramatica Theory Book
Chapter
24: Storytelling and Storyforming Structural Appreciations (Cont.)
Picking the proper
Classes for the
Domains in your Story
Which is the right
Class for the Main Character Domain in your story? For the
Objective Story Domain? For the Subjective Story Domain? For the Obstacle
Character Domain? Assigning the appropriate Dramatica Classes to the Domains
of your story is a tricky but important process.
There are four Domains or throughlines in a story: the Main
Character, the Obstacle Character, the Subjective Story, and the Objective
Story. These throughlines provide an audience with various points of view
from which to explore the story. The four audience points of view can
be seen as I, YOU, WE, and THEY as the audience's point of view shifts
from empathizing with the Main Character, to feeling the impact of the
Obstacle Character, to experiencing the relationship between the Main
and Obstacle Character, and then finally stepping back to see the big
picture that has everyone in it (all of THEM). Each point of view
describes an aspect of the story experience to which an audience
is privy.
There are four Classes containing all the possible kinds of problems that
can be felt in those throughlines (one Class to each throughline): Universe,
Mind, Physics, and Psychology. These Classes suggest different areas to
explore in the story. The areas can be seen as SITUATIONS, FIXED ATTITUDES
or FIXATIONS, ACTIVITIES, and MANNERS OF THINKING or MANIPULATION.
In Dramatica, a story
will contain all four areas to explore (Classes) and all four points of
view (throughlines). Each Class will be explored from one of the throughlines.
The combination of Class and throughline into a Domain is the broadest
way to describe the meaning in a story. For example, exploring a Main
Character in terms of his situation is quite different than exploring
a Main Character in terms of his attitude, the activities he is involved
in, or how he is being manipulated. Which is right for your story?
Pairing the appropriate Class with the proper throughline for your story
can be difficult. An approach you may find useful is to pick a throughline,
adopt the audience perspective that throughline provides, and from that
point of view examine each of the four Classes to see which feels the
best.
Each of the following sections present the four Classes from one specific
audience perspective. For best effect, adopt the perspective described
in the section and ask the questions as they appear in terms of your own
story. One set of questions should seem more important or relevant from
that perspective. NOTE: Selecting a throughline/Class relationship
(or Domain) indicates much about the emphasis you wish to place in the
context of your story. No pairing is better or worse than another. One
pairing will be, however, most appropriate to what you have in mind for
your story than the other three alternatives.
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