I was quite fascinated by what Michael Meyer has brought to light about the difference between "formula fiction" and a "serious fiction." After all, if the ending to a story is predictable and the guy always gets the gal, then there must be some formula that guides all these writers to write about the same thing and come to the same conclusion. It is only the great authors and novelists that write with twists and turns and not only in the beginning and middle of the plot, but at the end as well. For example, in "The Story of an Hour" the reader is led to believe that now that her husband is dead, Mrs. Mallard is a free woman and can now live the life that she has always wanted. It was only the last sentence of the story does the reader find out that it was a freedom that wasn't meant to be.