The 7 Basic Plots

[HellOnEarth]

http://ask.yahoo.com/20070305.html

[mammamaia]

imo, there are only 3... and they were painted on their authors' cave walls long ago... everything written since, is just creative plagiarism...

they are:

man vs god
man vs man
man vs self

here's what's wrong with that list you linked to:

[wo]man vs. nature [= god]
[wo]man vs. man
[wo]man vs. the environment [= nature, thus god]
[wo]man vs. machines/technology [= man, since it's generated by them]
[wo]man vs. the supernatural [= god]
[wo]man vs. self
[wo]man vs. god/religion

[Robert]

Wiki lists those as types of conflict rather than plot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_%28narrative%29

There's no consensus about how many basic plot types there are, and you'll find suggestions for various numbers on the internet. Personally, I found Christopher Booker's The Seven Basic Plots useful. He identifies seven basic plot types:

- Overcoming the monster
- Rags to riches
- The quest
- Voyage and return
- Comedy
- Tradegy
- Rebirth

I don't doubt that it's possible to group stories differently and come up with a different number, but I thought his book was a pretty good treatment of the subject of plot all the same.

Cheers,
Rob