VLADIMIR PROPP (1895-1970) Propp was a Bulgarian theorist. In his 1922 work The Morphology of the Folk Tale he analysed something like 400 Russian folk tales. He found that across all of these tales, despite apparent differences, characters and their actions can be categorized into clearly defined roles and functions (8 character roles and 31 narrative functions) which are summarized here:

The hero: seeks something, to fulfill a ‘lack’ of some kind The villain: opposed the hero, tries to make the hero fail The donor: aids the hero by providing an object with magical properties The dispatcher: sends the hero on a quest of some kind The false hero: pretends to be the hero The helper: assists the hero in some way The princess: doubles up as a reward for the hero and the object of the villain’s plot Her father: will reward the hero (often by giving the hero his daughter)

DARK KNIGHT RISES (which character fulfils this role and why?)

Hero

Villain

Donor

Dispatcher

False hero

Helper

Princess

Father