Narrative Theory
Media Studies AS
Narrative:
the way in which a story is told in both fictional and non-
fictional media texts.
Vladimir Propp- Russian critic and literary theorist.- Analysed over 100 Russian fairytales in the
1920s.- He proposed that it was possible to classify the
characters and their actions into clearly defined roles and functions.
- Films such as Star Wars fit Propp’s model precisely, but a a significant number of more recent films such as Pulp Fiction do not.
- The model is useful, however as it highlights the similarities between seemingly quite different stories.
Propp’s Character Roles The hero (seeks something) The villain (opposes the hero) The donor (helps the hero by providing a
magic object) The dispatcher (sends the hero on his way) The false hero (falsely assuming the role of
hero) The helper (gives support to the hero) The princess (the reward for the hero, but also
needs protection from the villain) Her father
Tzvetan Todorov Bulgarian literary theorist Suggests most narratives start with a
state of equilibrium in which life is ‘normal’ and protagonists happy.
This state of normality is disrupted by an outside force, which has to be fought against in order to return to a state of equilibrium.
This model can easily be applied to a wide range of films.
Equilibrium Disequilibrium New Equilibrium
Task:
Apply the two narrative theorists we have covered today to the following clip.
One character may fulfil more than on role and one of Propp’s characters doesn’t necessarily take human form in a narrative.
Equalibrium On a high
mountain plain lives a lamb with wool of such remarkable sheen that he breaks into a high steppin dance.
Disequilibrium But there
comes a day when he loses his lustrous coat and, along with it, his pride.
New Equilibrium It takes a wise
Jackalope – a horn adorned rabbit- to teach the moping lamb that woolly or not, it’s what’s inside that’ll help him rebound from life’s troubles.
The Hero
Seeks happiness following the visit of the ‘van’ which leaves him without his lustrous coat
The Villain The farmer / van
which arrives and takes the sheep’s coat.
The Donor
The Jackalope. He teaches the lamb to jump and be happy
The Dispatcher
It’s the Jackalope again!
The helper
Once again, it’s the Jackalope
The Princess It’s the
contented happiness which the lamb gets from his new found boundin’ prowess, along with the respect of his friends.