An Introduction to Ovidian Form
I will never forget the day, in my first year of film school, that I sat next to a friend in a lesson about story structure. I remember her leaning over to me, whispering, “What if I don’t want to watch a major conflict? Sometimes I just want to watch a story to step into someone else’s world and look at pretty visuals.” This was prompted by the professor claiming that every story has a beginning, middle, ending, and a major conflict.
This primarily reflects a III Act, Linear story structure. You know, the predictable arc:
What my peer whispered that day has stuck with me over the years; not because the idea of a lack of major conflict was new to me, but because I have always felt the same- despite the constant notion that nobody would watch such a thing being drilled into our heads. I assumed she and myself were outliers in a Western audience, that maybe we just didn’t “get it”.
That is, until I came across Circular Storytelling (Ovidian Form)
This method of story-telling challenges the framework of the Linear, Aristotelian III Act story arc. Playwright Sarah Ruhl has coined this less-prominent method of story-telling in media as “Ovidian Form”.
In her work, 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write: On Umbrellas and Swordfights, Parades and Dogs, Fire Alarms, Children, and Theater, Ruhl elaborates that the aforementioned Aristotelian story structure is a natural reflection of the male orgasm. This is evident in the way these stories have a beginning, middle, and abrupt end- including a major climax. (This could also be the reason my female classmate and I did not care for this structure.)
Alternatively, Ovidian Form revolves around the idea that the audience is pleasured by a series of meaningful personal or interpersonal transformations and journeys. Rather than a major conflict, viewers enjoy a well-paced metamorphosis of sorts.
Ovidian Form is in direct juxtaposition of the emulation of the male orgasm that is Aristotelian story telling. Instead of a climactic arc, it naturally follows a cyclical structure. This structure is similar to that of the 28 day menstrual cycle. There is period of deep reflection, followed by spontaneity and development, only for the character to eventually return to a similar level at which they began their journey.
For these types of stories, Ruhl emphasizes that an audience “takes pleasure in change itself” rather than in the development of a character’s goodwill or ill-will. This means any kind of change!
A well-known example of Circular Storytelling is Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird (2017).
The coming-of-age film follows “Lady Bird” through her senior year of high school, as she prepares to leave for college. She desires to get out from beneath her mother’s thumb, attend college somewhere new, and “find herself”. She goes through the motions of relationships and college applications (changes!), but ultimately never resolves her complicated relationship with her mom. The audience delights in the simple journey of Lady Bird’s ever-changing year-in-the-life.
By the end of the story, she is ultimately unchanged, albeit understanding her mother just a little bit more. She is still on her journey, but the audience has enjoyed following along for a portion of it without any drastic changes, proving that Gerwig’s use of circular storytelling is successful.
One thing that I’ve noticed while consuming this type of Ovidian, circularly-structured media…
Circular Storytelling never feels rushed.
There is no end goal for the film’s story. I am not constantly wondering if there is enough screen-time left to wrap up any loose ends. In fact, as a viewer, I am only ever focused on what the protagonist is going through at any given moment.
To me, circular story-telling feels like Sunday morning. All the chores are already done, you don’t have to go to work, and you can just sip your coffee and enjoy the moment. This is unlike linear storytelling, which can feel like a repeat of every other work day: congested and rushed, worried about completing everything on time.
I personally am interested in creating and consuming more Ovidian media as a filmmaker in the near future. Specifically, following the beats of the cyclical structure it correlates with, the menstrual cycle.
Ruhl’s analogy that the Aristotelian story arc is to the male orgasm as Ovidian Form is to the menstrual cycle is brilliant. It comes as no surprise that a society that freely gives out condoms at no expense to the male consumer, yet hikes up the prices of menstrual products on a regular basis would have an industry dominated by III Act, climactic Aristotelian stories. Meanwhile, this society is rarely investing in Ovidian, circular storytelling. It is simply prioritizing the male consumer, and ignoring what may be necessary to the female body and mind.