RESEARCH
CHOOSE YOUR OWN
ADVENTURE BOOKS
Choose your own adventure books are a series of books where the reader is the protagonist and the choices they make when reading it effect the characters and the outcome of the plot. The reader takes control of a character relevant to the plot of the story. There can be characters such as private investigators, race car drivers, doctors, spies or adventurers.
I chose to do my story in the Sci-Fi genre as Sci-FI books include settings that are not generally set on Earth. They can take place on settings such as other planets, future cities, an alternative futures and pasts and alternate versions of Earth. They include characters such as robots, aliens, cyborg humans. The plots of the stories usually include the conflict between good and evil. The conflict between good and evil is used to comment on the conflict between ideas and people in society. The narratives also include ideas of the implementation of new technologies, robots, time travel and new political systems. Sci-Fi stories also include things such as futuristic items and costumes. This is so the stories seem more believable to the reader. They also emphasize to the reader to time and setting of the story.
TODOROV'S
NARRTIVE THEORY
Todorov's narrative theory states that most stories and plot lines follow the same path. There are 5 steps in the pattern:
1 .Equilibrium
The first part of the story will have a happy start, where the majority of characters are content. Everything is as it should be.
2. Disruption
The second part of the story will feature a problem or something will disrupt the happiness.
3. Recognition
This is the part of the story where the characters realize the problem.
4. Restoration
The part of the plot where the characters attempt to restore the problem.
5. Equilibrium
The final part of the plot where the problem is resolved and it is normal again.
THE HERO'S
JOURNEY
The Hero's Journey is a narrative theory that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, and in a decisive crisis wins a victory and then comes home changed or transformed. The Hero's Story is divided into three sections,
1. Departure
2. Initiation
3. Return
In the departure part of the narrative, the hero or protagonist lives in the ordinary world and receives a call to go on an adventure. They are normally reluctant to go but is guided by a mentor.
The initiation section starts with the hero traversing to the 'unknown world' where they are faced with trials and challenges.
In the return section, the hero traverses through the world again. He returns to the ordinary world with the experience they have earned. They will now use this experience to help their fellow people. The hero is transformed by the adventure and gains wisdom.
An example of this is in The Incredibles:
Departure
Bob starts working for Mirage. He goes to Nomanisan to fight the robot on the island. Helen and the rest of the Incredibles go to the island after finding out where he went.
Initiation
Helen and the kids walk through the island and run away from the soldiers after Bob was captured by Syndrome. They defeat the soldiers using their powers. They find Bob and escape.
Return
The Incredibles return to their house. Baby Jack-Jack now has powers and uses them to defeat Syndrome. They then use their powers to fight The Underminer.
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Character – Mad Professor
What – Battle of the Gods
When – On a dark night
Where – Tower of London
Object – Crashed UFO
As the street lamps were lit, the Professor walked down the dimly lit street. It was just turning dark, few people were on the streets. The professor searched his pockets, listening for the jingle of his keys. He took them out and unlocked a large black gate, guarding a dark tunnel. The gate had no details, just a sign that read “TOWER”. He slowly swung open the gate, looked around him, and then closed it behind him. He pulled out a small lighter, holding it against the walls of the tunnels to guide him. He halted when he reached a door named “LABORATORY 7”, pulled out another key and unlocked the metal door. A small, yellow lightbulb turned on within the professor entering the room. The professor clapped twice and bright, white coloured lights illuminated the whole room. Workbenches, covered in bottles of different coloured liquids, small tubs of powders, electrical components and equipment became visible to the professor. He took a pair of gloves out of a drawer and placed them on his hands.
He approached one of the workbenches, and began to unscrew electrical components. After a while of working, a flash appeared in the laboratory. The lightbulbs started to sway and swing, with one falling out of its socket, smashing on the concrete floor. The professor sat in shock, removing his gloves whilst approaching the broken bulb on the floor. He heard a loud humming noise, coming from outside of his window. He ran to it, opened it and stared in shock. A UFO was dug into the dirt in the grounds of the Tower of London. Debris covered the gardens.
The professor grabbed his coat off of the hook, out on his hat and ran out of the door, leaving it unlocked in his excitement. He followed the street lamps, and found his way to the Tower of London. When inside, he slowly approached the UFO, weary of what could be inside of it. A loud bang came from inside, making him run and dive behind a bush. He peeked over the top.
Todorov’s Theory:
Equilibrium – The mad professor is working on projects in his secret laboratory
Disruption – The professor sees a UFO crash in the grounds of The Tower of London. The professor learns that the UFO was sent by a god to intimidate another.
Recognition – The professor helps the gods leave the earth as he is afraid of what may happen.
Restoration – The gods fight, but end the fight after leaving the Earth.
New Equilibrium – The professor goes back to working in his laboratory, trying to forget what happened in the Tower of London.
A hero’s journey:
Departure – The Professor leaves his laboratory after seeing the UFO crash in the Tower of London
Initiation – The Professor learns about the fight between the gods and helps make the God’s leave the earth when they fight.
Return – The professor returns to his laboratory, with the knowledge of the gods.
Interactive Story:
Equilibrium – In Atlanta, the police control the city. They have power over everybody, including the mayor. People are not allowed in or out of sector 7, an area of land covering Georgia. The sector has borders that the police guard.
Disruption – The officer the reader controls finds out about a group of people planning on escaping from the sector, and leave the country. They go and investigate the group and the group tell them about the plans the police have for the sector.
Recognition - The officer learns that the police plan to cut supplies to the people living in the sector, to lower the population and have more supplies for them to sell for a profit. The police officer looks to escape with them.
Restoration – The police officer tries to escape and tell other authorities about what is happening in sector 7. They are tricked into meeting the group at a car park, which turns out to be a police ambush. They are told that the group wanting to escape were arrested. They cause a distraction and try to escape. They are badly wounded in the escape. They make it out of the sector, and report it to the police in another sector. The police in sector 8 prepare to invade Sector 7 and overthrow the police there. The officer walks outside of the sector 8 police station, and die on the steps, knowing that they saved the sector.
New Equilibrium – Sector 7 is overthrown by sector 8. The supplies that the police were keeping were returned to the people living there.