Vladimir Propp

By Priscilla Amponsah

Who was Vladimir Propp? Was a Russian and Soviet formalist scholar During 1920, Propp was a Russian critic. Interested in the narrative of folk tales. Here he

noticed that often many folk tales were similar in a variety areas.

He identified a theory about characters and actins as narrative functions

According to his theory, characters have a narrative function, whereby it provides a structure for the plot

His theories has influenced many film markers to writing and producing successful narratives

He highlights that all fairy tales follow a specific narrative structure.

Vladimir Propp

Theory in context

The hero: seeks something The villain: opposes the heroThe donor: helps the hero by proving a magic object The dispatcher: sends the hero on his way The false hero: falsely assuming the role of heroThe helper: gives support to the heroThe princess: the reward for the hero but also needs

to be protected from the villainThe father: protects the princess

Applying Propp to Halloween(1978)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SFmmROBUto

Casts of Halloween

Dr Sam Loomis

Laurie Strode (the mother)

Michael Myers

Judith Myers (Michael's sister)

Exploring theory... Hero: the doctor who tries to save Michael from killing his sister, as well as other victims.

In a sense the hero can also be argued as being the sister, as she refuses to become one of the many victims of Michael, who triumph in the end.

Villain: Michael due to his desire and pleasure in making people suffer killing The donor: the doctor, who at the end make himself into a sacrifice in order for Michael

to kill him instead of the sister? The dispatcher: the doctors colleges who insists that he goes and stop Michael from

people becoming more victimised. The false hero: the mother due to the fact that she believes she’s helping him by putting

him in a hospital, but due to her absences, which in affect made him worse thus his killing rampage.

The helper: the cleaner who in his best interests tries to advice Michael to receive the help he’s been presented.

The princess: no clear princess as he wants to kill everyone regardless. However one could argue that this character could reflect the sister, as she needs saving from her own brother (villain)

The father: again not clear, however it can be suggested that the doctor is the father as he wants to save the sister.

Applying Propp’s theory (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2013)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKqFfkassgo

• A vigilante mob of enraged locals surrounded the Sawyer house, burning it to the ground and killing every last member of the family. They did this because Leatherface massacred a lot of innocent people.

• Decades later a young woman named Heather learns that she has inherited a Texas estate from her grandmother.

• She decides to bring her friends along on the road trip to investigate her inheritance. On arrival she uncovers she has inherited a mansion but is yet to uncover the terrors that lurk in the basement below it.

Plot

Main Characters

• Heather • Leatherface• Ryan• Sheriff Hooper

Propp’s Character Theory• The hero: Heather who basically wants to investigate her

inheritance (the Texas estate)• The villain: Leatherface • The donor: The letter which says to protect Heather who is his

cousin. • The dispatcher: The past memory of the Grandma • The false hero: Sheriff Hooper who tries to hide the truth about

Leatherface’s existence and tries keep it away from the town.• The helper: Ryan (Heather’s boyfriend for a while) later cheats

on her.• The princess: The knowledge that he is her cousin is the reward

even though he is the villain, because she stays and supports him at the end.

• Her father: Leatherface who see’s Heather’s scars and realises that its his cousin so he doesn't end up killing her.