Once again visiting the concept that no stories are wholly original, Foster throws in the word archetype. An archetype appears over and over in literary works. It is a basic "story component" (pg 191) that simply cannot be put to rest. They excite or interest us so much, that even archetypes found in modern books can provide the same desired reaction.
Here's am example: a race against time to save to world/human race/someone in danger. Our hero battles something or someone with a time limit, be it a bomb or a serial killer waiting to strike or a meteor heading towards earth. If he or she doesn't win, people die. The story creates suspense and that squirmy feeling readers get when they know this will end well but can't help doubt.
Surely countless works and stories are popping into your head. One I can remember? Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. In this first installment in the chronicles of Robert Langdon, the college professor/sybologist/adventurer must help the Swiss Guard find a small canister of anti-matter that simply awaits detonation. When the battery pack for the canister runs out, the anti-matter will hit the side of the canister and blow Vatican City and surrounding Rome off of the map. For the next 500 pages, Robert runs around the Vatican reading clues from ancient artwork and literature. The suspense is intense (That rhymed. Unintentional.) and readers are taken on a roller coaster journey. This is just one modern example of an ancient archetype.
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