Page 55 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 3

The sequence of a tale also can be rearranged; interpolated elements
can be inserted in the middle of a tale, complicating the plot. For instance,
episodes of Perry Mason do not include structural element III, the jury
selection process. The film My Cousin Vinny (1992), on the other hand,
repeated the courtroom sequence several times:
IV. The development of the defense team’s strategies
V. The defense attorney’s tactics in court
VI. The prosecutor’s tactics in court
V. The defense attorney’s tactics in court
VI. The prosecutor’s tactics in court
V. The defense attorney’s tactics in court
This interpolation was central to the humor of the story. The plot
involved the miscues of novice attorney Vincent Gambini (Joe Pesci) as
he attempted to defend his clients, who have been accused of murder.
The repeated sequence also reveals Vinny’s growth as an attorney; he
quickly learns proper deportment in the courtroom and begins to apply
his argumentative strengths to their best advantage.
Finally, reversing the order in which functions appear creates wide plot
variations. For instance, in My Cousin Vinny, if element II (The defendant
is apprehended) had appeared before element I (Introduction), the audience
would no longer have been a witness to the crime, which established the
innocence of Vinny’s clients. Consequently, the dramatic emphasis would
have shifted to discovering whether Vinny’s clients were innocent or guilty,
as opposed to whether Vinny can successfully defend his innocent clients.

Formulaic Plot

A plot is a planned series of events in a narrative, progressing through a
struggle of opposing forces to a climax and a conclusion. For instance,
Bob Ivry describes the formulaic plot that typifies the action/adventure
genre:
It goes like this: Our hero, an average Joe Blow, gets his wife and/or chil-
dren massacred/kidnapped/threatened by Yankee renegades/Nazis/Arab
terrorists/Eurotrash gangsters/malevolent visitors from the future and vows
vengeance. Betrayed by his friends/neighbors/fellow police/comrades-in-
arms/evil twin, Blow must endure intense physical hardship in order to
restore peace/freedom of expression/fair play/unimpeded commerce to
the community. Blow’s reward: the girl and/or a sequel. 11

40