Plot V Story

[Sabre]

Can someone help me out here and I can't understand this apparently simple concept I'm apparently to dumb to grasp.

Plot is a series of events that make up a story.

A story is a series of events with a theme.

Narrative is the combination of story and plot.

Apparently it's possable for a narrative, and thus the entire film/book/game to be bad if the plot overtakes or crushes the story and vise versa.

I can't even work out the difference between plot and story.

[Fluxy]

That is quite odd and Befuddling. I think some parts of that are/might be wrong, but if not, Sorry, I can't help too much. :(

[Guest Para Astaroth]

You got it mostly down pat, Sabre.  Sometimes if a story has a good plot, the 'loose ends' will have been 'tied up', thus making the overall story/movie/book/ etc.  a worth watching or reading.  To make it more understandable, (I hate using video games as examples) take God of War:  The first started out with a few loose ends, the second tied a few and gave let out a few more, then the third came along and tied up everything that the first two didn't fully cover.  For instance, Kratos opened Pandora's Box, which caused him to go Godzilla size and kill Aries, and it caused all of the negative stuff Athena placed inside of it to flow out and effected Mt.  Olympus itself -- Zeus was consumed with fear and was always antagonizing Kratos for how much he must punish him, yet somehow the other gods weren't effected at all by Pandora's effects and seemed immune.

I could go on for awhile about how Cronos, Hercules, and whom else in the story had plot holes, but this is just a thread about you needing help understanding plots and stories.

Hope my example helped any.

[Sabre]

You got it mostly down pat, Sabre.  Sometimes if a story has a good plot, the 'loose ends' will have been 'tied up', thus making the overall story/movie/book/ etc.  a worth watching or reading.  To make it more understandable, (I hate using video games as examples) take God of War:  The first started out with a few loose ends, the second tied a few and gave let out a few more, then the third came along and tied up everything that the first two didn't fully cover.  For instance, Kratos opened Pandora's Box, which caused him to go Godzilla size and kill Aries, and it caused all of the negative stuff Athena placed inside of it to flow out and effected Mt.  Olympus itself -- Zeus was consumed with fear and was always antagonizing Kratos for how much he must punish him, yet somehow the other gods weren't effected at all by Pandora's effects and seemed immune.

I could go on for awhile about how Cronos, Hercules, and whom else in the story had plot holes, but this is just a thread about you needing help understanding plots and stories.

Hope my example helped any.

Right, but what is the difference between story and plot? If you know what I mean?

[Guest Para Astaroth]

A plot is all the events in a story particularly rendered toward the achievement of some particular artistic or emotional effect or general theme.

A story is a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events.

Simple enough?

[Fluxy]

Right, but what is the difference between story and plot? If you know what I mean?

Personally, I consider the plot a series of events. Those series of events + Characters + Background + Anything I am missing = A story. But that is just how I view it.

[Sabre]

A plot is all the events in a story particularly rendered toward the achievement of some particular artistic or emotional effect or general theme.

A story is a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events.

Simple enough?

Right, got it.

[Sabre]

To clarify. When someone describes something as "Having plot, but no story" they mean stuff happens, but none of it matters?

[Fluxy]

To clarify. When someone describes something as "Having plot, but no story" they mean stuff happens, but none of it matters?

That's how I look at it.