The idea that there are only a small number of basic plots (ur-plots?) is not new. None other than Kurt Vonnegut wrote his master's thesis about it at Universi

The idea that there are only a small number of basic plots (ur-plots?) is not new. None other than Kurt Vonnegut wrote his master's thesis about it at University of Chicago in 1965 [0]. The exact claimed number of ur-plots is up for debate, but the idea seems sensible. --- [0]: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/jul/13/three-six-or-36-how-many-basic-plots-are-there-in-all-stories-ever-written https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/jul/13/thre...