In all of literature there are a limited number of basic plots. I give you:
Overcoming the Monster
Definition: The protagonist sets out to defeat an antagonistic force (often evil) which threatens the protagonist and/or protagonist’s homeland.
Examples: Perseus, Theseus, Beowulf , Dracula , The War of the Worlds , Nicholas Nickleby , The Guns of Navarone , Seven Samurai ( The Magnificent Seven ), James Bond, Jaws , Star Wars , Attack on Titan .
Rags to Riches
Definition: The poor protagonist acquires power, wealth, and/or a mate, loses it all and gains it back, growing as a person as a result.
Examples: Cinderella , Aladdin , Jane Eyre , A Little Princess , Great Expectations , David Copperfield , The Prince and the Pauper , Brewster’s Millions , The Jerk .
The Quest
Definition: 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.
Examples: The Iliad , The Pilgrim’s Progress , The Lord Of The Rings , King Solomon’s Mines , Six of Crows , Watership Down , Lightning Thief , Raiders of the Lost Ark , Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
Voyage and Return
Definition: The protagonist goes to a strange land and, after overcoming the threats it poses or learning important lessons unique to that location, they return with experience.
Examples: Ramayana , Odyssey , Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland , Goldilocks and the Three Bears , Orpheus, The Time Machine , Peter Rabbit , The Hobbit , Brideshead Revisited , The Rime of the Ancient Mariner , Gone with the Wind , The Third Man , The Lion King , Back to the Future , The Midnight Gospel , Gulliver , Coming To America .
Comedy
Definition: 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.[2] Booker stresses that comedy is more than humor. It refers to a pattern where the conflict becomes more and more confusing, but is at last made plain in a single clarifying event. The majority of romance films fall into this category.
Examples: A Midsummer Night’s Dream , Much Ado About Nothing , Twelfth Night , Bridget Jones’s Diary , Music and Lyrics , Sliding Doors , Four Weddings and a Funeral , The Big Lebowski .
Tragedy
Definition: The protagonist is a hero with a major character flaw or great mistake which is ultimately their undoing. Their unfortunate end evokes pity at their folly and the fall of a fundamentally good character.
Examples: Anna Karenina , Bonnie and Clyde , Carmen , Citizen Kane , John Dillinger , Jules et Jim , Julius Caesar , Macbeth , Madame Bovary , Oedipus Rex , The Picture of Dorian Gray , Romeo and Juliet , Hamilton , The Great Gatsby .
Rebirth
Definition: An event forces the main character to change their ways and often become a better individual.
Examples: Pride and Prejudice , The Frog Prince , Beauty and the Beast , The Snow Queen , A Christmas Carol , The Secret Garden , Peer Gynt , Groundhog Day .