The 6 - Or Is It 7 - Basic Stories

I once heard it said that there are 6 (or perhaps 7) stories, at least in western literature, and they get told over and over again. The delight is in the details.

According to a 2018 report on the BBC, researchers analyzed 1700 novels to determine what the basic plotlines throughout literature were, and came up with a list of six. They were able to do this partly because of the assistance of "text-mining." As an aside, research into patterns discovered in fiction (or writing in general) has long been conducted, to the extent that some claim a writer can be identified by word choice and use. According to Schneier on Security, www.schneier.com, "(It's) called stylometry, and it's based on the analysis of things like word choice, sentence structure, syntax and punctuation. In one experiment, researchers were able to identify 80% of users with a 5,000-word writing sample."

According to the above referenced report, "Professor Matthew Jockers at Washington State University, and later researchers at the University of Vermont’s Computational Story Lab, analysed data from thousands of novels to reveal six basic story types." (BBC.com/culture) The report used a "happy/sad" index for the words in the story to help determine the arc of the plot, and figure out the story type.

Their analysis suggested that these six story types included the following (with a famous example of each):

Rags to riches. (The Divine Comedy, Madame Bovary)

Icarus (a rise, then fall in fortune) (Romeo and Juliet)

Oedipus (a fall, then rise again) (Frankenstein)

Cinderella (rise, fall, rise) (Pride and Prejudice)

Man in a hole (fall, rise) (Pride and Prejudice)

In 2004, Christopher Booker published a book (pun appreciated) that outline seven essential plots, based on a Jungian analysis over the admirable period of 34 years. Carl Jung, of course, is famous for his reference to the "collective unconscious," and "archetypes," both of which could well be used to identify plot and character types that are repeated in various re-tellings of the same essential tale.

Booker identified the following basic plots, with examples of each (sourced from Wikipedia):

Overcoming the Monster: The protagonist sets out to defeat an antagonistic force (often evil) that threatens the protagonist and/or protagonist's homeland. (Perseus, Beowulf, Dracula)

Rags to Riches: The poor protagonist acquires power, wealth, and/or a mate, loses it all and gains it back, growing as a person as a result.(Cinderella, Jane Eyre, David Copperfield)
The Quest: The protagonist and companions set out to acquire an important object or to get to a location. They face temptations and other obstacles along the way. (The Illiad, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Divine Comedy)
Voyage and Return: The protagonist goes to a strange land and, after overcoming the threats it poses or learning important lessons unique to that location, returns with experience (The Odyssey, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Hobbit)
Comedy: Light and humorous character with a happy or cheerful ending; a dramatic work in which the central motif is the triumph over adverse circumstance, resulting in a successful or happy conclusion. (Midsummer Night's Dream, Bridget Jones's Diary, The Big Lebowski)
Tragedy: The protagonist is a hero with a major character flaw or great mistake which is ultimately their undoing. The protagonist's unfortunate end evokes pity at their folly and the fall of a fundamentally good character. (Bonnie & Clyde, Citizen Kane, Romeo and Juliet)
Rebirth: An event forces the protagonist to change their ways and often become a better person. (Beauty and the Beast, A Christmas Carol, Peer Gynt) 

An article in The Guardian suggested these eight essential plots:
Cinderella - or un-recognized virtue at last recognized. The "good" is belittled or ignored until it is finally recognized and appreciated.

Achilles - the fatal flaw of the main or leading character that leads to disaster.
Faust - the debt that must be paid, and that catches up to the hero.

Tristan - the love triangle, 2 men and a woman, 2 women and a man.

Circe - the Spider and the Fly; the lure and capture.

Romeo and Juliet - Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy either finds or does not find Girl.

Orpheus - The gift taken away. 

The Hero Who Cannot Be Kept Down. 

The Guardian's article suggest that each essential story can be told as a comedy, tragedy, novel, short story, film, stage show, or whatever form will convey its essence.

Other analyses have suggested twelve basic tales, 36, infinite.

For my money, the six (or seven) rings true in the sense that there are a handful of very basic stories that we know are going to follow a predictable pattern, yet we sit and enjoy them - knowing the tragedy or the triumph will occur, and letting it simply lead us on the adventure, enthralled with a tale twice (or six or seven times) told.