the plot thickens

watching telly last night i experienced a type of deja vous. i was sure i'd seen that storyline somewhere else before, but i was sure it was on another tv show. a bit of goooogling later, i discovered the reason. apparently, as mere mortals, we are constrained in the types of movies we produce and the books that we write because - there are only so many ways to construct a story.

according to the internet public library, one theory is that there only 7 possible types of plots, and they are:

1. [wo]man vs. nature
2. [wo]man vs. man
3. [wo]man vs. the environment
4. [wo]man vs. machines/technology
5. [wo]man vs. the supernatural
6. [wo]man vs. self
7. [wo]man vs. God/religion

but what about like.. harry potter.

8. wizards vs evil wizards (who shall not be named)

see? muggles know nothing.