Inverted quotes homages

[jack]

http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~jv233/fic/saldini_chap_1.html

I was thinking about my story (now up to 4000 words, first chapter above), and noticing the parallels.

Mystery with indirect narration: Sherlock Holmes
Vampire detective: Laurel K. Hamilton, Buffy
Elliptical style: Neal Stephenson, Three Musketeers
Alternate chapters by protagonist's familiar: Bartimiaus Trilogy
Comic fantasy based on drunken depressed detective: Sam Vimes, Thraxas

Am I reaching, or is this more derivative than usual? It feels right, so I'm not worried, but each seems close enough that it wouldn't be implausible to say it was a rip of off (though, in some cases, could be better than :) ). How can it be in five genres wihtout leaving comic/mystery/fantasy? :)

Comments

[enismirdal.livejournal.com]

I am sure someone once said that there are only about 6 stories in all the world anyway, and all stories are a derivative of one of another of them... :)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

There's a hilarious article here on the number of different plots: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/001124.html

One plot. One school of thought holds that all stories can be summed up as Exposition/Rising Action/Climax/Falling Action/Denouement or to simplify it even further, Stuff Happens, although even at this level of generality we seem to have left out Proust.