Just about every famous or even slightly substantial story in the history of literature all have one thing in common. A storyline that is interesting; interesting meaning being capable of holding an audiences attention. While what is or isn't 'capable' can be much debated, the fact still stands true that a story is interesting in some context, some time, or some place. The entire tales velocity, manipulation, development, and dynamic to keep the audience engaged. Without change, there would be nothing substantial to keep track of. Without slope, there is no ski.
Vogler asserts that all stories need this 'character arc' in order for them to be compelling. I do agree with this statement entirely. Without a storyline is changing at least somewhat, then the story will come across as mundane and predictable. This is undesirable to read or watch because this is ordinary stuff. Egri also asserts that the arc is a crucial matter in a story's consistency.
To further explain character arc, an example is helpful. In the film Se7en, Somerset is a detective who is nearing his retirement. In the beginning of the story, he is a rather cynical, but grounded individual. He is humble though and still faithful to his precinct. However, after dealing with the sudden Se7en killer, he seems to have reached his final actualization. He is content with his leaving, but he also seems to be a changed man. He still remains cynical, but he ends up retiring wiser and slightly troubled.
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