Dramatica Theory of Story Structure
Encyclopedia
Originated in 1994, the The Dramatica Theory of Story Structure is a diagnostic modelling tool built around a concept called “The Story Mind.” According to this notion, every story
has a mind of its own – its psychology
is built by the story’s structure and its personality
is determined by the storytelling
.
The theory claims that this model of the mind was developed unintentionally over centuries of storytelling as a by-product of the attempt to communicate information
and emotion
s across a medium from an author
to an audience.
In this light a story is seen as an argument
in which the author, hoping to convince the audience
of a point of view, suggests that a particular approach to problem solving
is (or is not) better than all others that might reasonably be tried in a given situation.
To successfully make this argument, all other pertinent problem solving approaches much be examined in the story as well and shown to fall short of the one promoted by the author.
In the process of including all the reasonable ways one might go about solving a particular problem
, all universal human points of view, attitude
s, and approaches must appear for any story’s argument to be complete.
Over centuries of trial and error
storytelling, these human qualities became fixed as the conventions of story structure from characters, to theme, to plot.
Therefore, the Dramatic theory sees characters as representing our various drives and motivation
s, theme is seen as our conflicting value standards, plot represents our problem solving methods, and genre describes the overall attitude (personality type) of the Story Mind itself.
While these notions are merely concept
ual, the Dramatica theory ultimately developed beyond this into a very specific math-based model of psychology. The model itself is a visual representation of the relationships among dramatic elements and the dynamics which drive them.
Appearing not unlike a cross between the Periodic Table of Elements
and a three dimensional chess
set, the Dramatic Table of Story Elements is divided into four families: Universe
(representing situations), Mind (attitudes), Physics
(activities) and Psychology (manners of thinking).
These four families are represented as occupying a square (called a quad) divided into four parts, one family in each corner. The position of each item in a quad is important because the quad actually represents an equation
purported by the Dramatica theory to represent the basic building block of thought.
With the four families at the top, the model extends down three additional “levels”, creating a three-dimensional volume in which the story’s argument takes place and can be charted, analyzed and even predicted.
Each level below the top is continually subdivided into smaller and more refined dramatic units. For example, Universe is subdivided into Past, Present, Future, and Progress. Each of those smaller units is subdivided as well until at the fourth and bottom level of the model, each family contains sixty-four elements.
The equations used to create the model establish consistent relationships among dramatic elements. For example, one of the subdivisions under the Mind family is “Memory
” which falls in the same relative position in its quad to “Past” in the Universe family. Therefore, Memory is to Mind as Past is to Universe. The entire model is consistently structured in this manner.
In addition, the structure is not fixed, but flexible. The Dramatica theory uses a series of “dynamic operations” to twist and turn the model like a Rubik's Cube
in order to create the dramatic potentials necessary to support an author’s intent.
In later years, the ongoing development of Dramatica split into two branches. First is ongoing exploration into using the model to understand the workings of the human mind itself – an area of research called (by the theory creators) Mental Relativity. The second area of development is the implementation of the model as a patented computer program
called “The Story Engine” which can be used to analyze story structures to find holes and inconsistencies and also used to interactively suggest how to fix and fill them.
Dramatica theory has been taught at several universities, including the University of California at Los Angeles, where the theory creators taught a twelve-week “for credit” course for several years.
The most definitive explanation of the theory can be found in the book, Dramatica – A New Theory of Story (ISBN 091897304X ISBN 978-0918973047), authored by the theory co-creators.
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
has a mind of its own – its psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
is built by the story’s structure and its personality
Personality type
Personality type refers to the psychological classification of different types of individuals. Personality types are sometimes distinguished from personality traits, with the latter embodying a smaller grouping of behavioral tendencies. Types are sometimes said to involve qualitative differences...
is determined by the storytelling
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
.
The theory claims that this model of the mind was developed unintentionally over centuries of storytelling as a by-product of the attempt to communicate information
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
and emotion
Emotion
Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience." Emotion is associated with mood,...
s across a medium from an author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
to an audience.
In this light a story is seen as an argument
Argument
In philosophy and logic, an argument is an attempt to persuade someone of something, or give evidence or reasons for accepting a particular conclusion.Argument may also refer to:-Mathematics and computer science:...
in which the author, hoping to convince the audience
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
of a point of view, suggests that a particular approach to problem solving
Problem solving
Problem solving is a mental process and is part of the larger problem process that includes problem finding and problem shaping. Consideredthe most complex of all intellectual functions, problem solving has been defined as higher-order cognitive process that requires the modulation and control of...
is (or is not) better than all others that might reasonably be tried in a given situation.
To successfully make this argument, all other pertinent problem solving approaches much be examined in the story as well and shown to fall short of the one promoted by the author.
In the process of including all the reasonable ways one might go about solving a particular problem
Problem
A problem is an obstacle, impediment, difficulty or challenge, or any situation that invites resolution; the resolution of which is recognized as a solution or contribution toward a known purpose or goal...
, all universal human points of view, attitude
Attitude (psychology)
An attitude is a hypothetical construct that represents an individual's degree of like or dislike for something. Attitudes are generally positive or negative views of a person, place, thing, or event— this is often referred to as the attitude object...
s, and approaches must appear for any story’s argument to be complete.
Over centuries of trial and error
Trial and error
Trial and error, or trial by error, is a general method of problem solving, fixing things, or for obtaining knowledge."Learning doesn't happen from failure itself but rather from analyzing the failure, making a change, and then trying again."...
storytelling, these human qualities became fixed as the conventions of story structure from characters, to theme, to plot.
Therefore, the Dramatic theory sees characters as representing our various drives and motivation
Motivation
Motivation is the driving force by which humans achieve their goals. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. The term is generally used for humans but it can also be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well. This article refers to human motivation...
s, theme is seen as our conflicting value standards, plot represents our problem solving methods, and genre describes the overall attitude (personality type) of the Story Mind itself.
While these notions are merely concept
Concept
The word concept is used in ordinary language as well as in almost all academic disciplines. Particularly in philosophy, psychology and cognitive sciences the term is much used and much discussed. WordNet defines concept: "conception, construct ". However, the meaning of the term concept is much...
ual, the Dramatica theory ultimately developed beyond this into a very specific math-based model of psychology. The model itself is a visual representation of the relationships among dramatic elements and the dynamics which drive them.
Appearing not unlike a cross between the Periodic Table of Elements
Periodic table
The periodic table of the chemical elements is a tabular display of the 118 known chemical elements organized by selected properties of their atomic structures. Elements are presented by increasing atomic number, the number of protons in an atom's atomic nucleus...
and a three dimensional chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
set, the Dramatic Table of Story Elements is divided into four families: Universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
(representing situations), Mind (attitudes), Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
(activities) and Psychology (manners of thinking).
These four families are represented as occupying a square (called a quad) divided into four parts, one family in each corner. The position of each item in a quad is important because the quad actually represents an equation
Equation
An equation is a mathematical statement that asserts the equality of two expressions. In modern notation, this is written by placing the expressions on either side of an equals sign , for examplex + 3 = 5\,asserts that x+3 is equal to 5...
purported by the Dramatica theory to represent the basic building block of thought.
With the four families at the top, the model extends down three additional “levels”, creating a three-dimensional volume in which the story’s argument takes place and can be charted, analyzed and even predicted.
Each level below the top is continually subdivided into smaller and more refined dramatic units. For example, Universe is subdivided into Past, Present, Future, and Progress. Each of those smaller units is subdivided as well until at the fourth and bottom level of the model, each family contains sixty-four elements.
The equations used to create the model establish consistent relationships among dramatic elements. For example, one of the subdivisions under the Mind family is “Memory
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
” which falls in the same relative position in its quad to “Past” in the Universe family. Therefore, Memory is to Mind as Past is to Universe. The entire model is consistently structured in this manner.
In addition, the structure is not fixed, but flexible. The Dramatica theory uses a series of “dynamic operations” to twist and turn the model like a Rubik's Cube
Rubik's Cube
Rubik's Cube is a 3-D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik.Originally called the "Magic Cube", the puzzle was licensed by Rubik to be sold by Ideal Toy Corp. in 1980 and won the German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle that...
in order to create the dramatic potentials necessary to support an author’s intent.
In later years, the ongoing development of Dramatica split into two branches. First is ongoing exploration into using the model to understand the workings of the human mind itself – an area of research called (by the theory creators) Mental Relativity. The second area of development is the implementation of the model as a patented computer program
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
called “The Story Engine” which can be used to analyze story structures to find holes and inconsistencies and also used to interactively suggest how to fix and fill them.
Dramatica theory has been taught at several universities, including the University of California at Los Angeles, where the theory creators taught a twelve-week “for credit” course for several years.
The most definitive explanation of the theory can be found in the book, Dramatica – A New Theory of Story (ISBN 091897304X ISBN 978-0918973047), authored by the theory co-creators.