Here are some of the conventions you might have associated with those story-form types:
Fairy Tale
- “Once upon a time”–setting the tale in a “long ago” past
- The presence of magic and supernatural transformation
- An orphan boy or girl, or a dead parent
- A “land” that has been subjugated by evil powers
- A Journey
The Western
- Setting on the Frontier, or on the “edge” of civilization
- A Hero/ gunslinger, often familiar with the wilds
- A Side-kick
- The “High Noon” gun battle
- Ranchers versus Farmers or “Sodbusters”
The Sensational or Muckraking Expose
- The People versus the “Interests” or Corrupt Powers
- An “invisible” empire or network connecting elite power to all corners of life; power “saturates” and controls even the smallest player
- A “Boss” Figure, often posing as a political leader
- sensational diction–of degradation, secret deals, and so on–but also comic irony
- A “crime under the crime”–a larger pattern of corruption hiding beneath a simpler event
- Reform as merely a cover-up
When you are done with this exercise, close this tab and return to the main chapter.