Story Skeleton: The Classics

In Story Skeleton: The Classics, we unlock the secrets of twenty-one enduring novels—from Pride and Prejudice to The Godfather—revealing the plot points and craft genius that make them masterpieces. Discover the method behind the magic, and learn how to apply these timeless techniques to elevate your own writing and captivate readers for generations.As Orson Welles said, “The absence of limitations is the enemy of art.”A novel’s structural elements can be organized strategically, creatively, unusually—but in a satisfying narrative, they’re all there in some form. That form might be surprising when you realize what the author has really done—which often isn’t clear the first or even second time you read a complex novel. But once you crack the code, it’s immensely satisfying. Table of ContentsKeeping it (Relatively) SimpleMoby-Dick and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: A Comparison of “Straight-Shot” TrajectoriesThe Old Man and the Sea: Simple Structure, Multiple InterpretationsGiovanni’s Room: A Masterclass in Internal ConflictThe Picture of Dorian Gray: A Tragic AllegoryPride and Prejudice: A Prototype of Romance StructureOf Mice and Men: Bookended Settings with a TwistGetting Creative The Great Gatsby: A Novel that Begins at the MidpointThe Scarlet Letter: Splitting the Internal and External ConflictsThe Call of the Wild: An Episodic StructureMadame Bovary: The Overlay of Two TrajectoriesHeart of Darkness: The Hero’s Journey with a Delayed Inciting IncidentCracking the Code Jane Eyre: Five Arcs, Two GenresThe Bell Jar: A Sidelined Narrative GoalAs I Lay Dying: One Journey, Several Conflicting GoalsTo the Lighthouse: Where’s the Plot?Animal Farm: When the Antagonist Drives the ActionThe Godfather: An Event StructureMiddlemarch: So Many StorylinesWuthering Heights: Framing with Unreliable NarratorsBrideshead Revisited: A Series of Venn Diagrams