Theorists who write about narrative structure.

By Briony Watkins.

Tzvetan Todorov.• Tzvetan Todorov believed that narrative follows a set

structure.

Equilibrium- This is how the narrative begins. Things are quite normal and nothing out of the ordinary is happening.

Disequilibrium- The narrative then changes. Something Goes wrong and a problem arises.

Acknowledgement of disequilibrium- The characters recognise that their is a problem and look at how to resolve it. Planning etc.

Attempt to repair disequilibrium-The characters spend majority of the film trying to solve the problem that caused the disequilibrium.

Equilibrium- The problem is solved and the disequilibrium ends. Although it might not always end happy, the disequilibrium is brought to an end.

Films that follow this narrative include those such as Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

Films that do not follow this narrative structure included ones such as Pulp Fiction.

Vladimir Propp.• Vladimir Propp believes that there are set characters in

narrative that follow set roles. He was inspired by the layout of fairytales so his theory is inspired by them.

Character type Role within narrative

Protagonist (hero). Leads the narrative, is usually either looking for something (a quest) or trying to solve something (a mystery). They don’t have to be male but typically are.

Antagonist (villain). Gets in the protagonist’s way and is dislikeable.

Heroine. Is usually some sort of prize or reward for the hero. If the hero is female then the heroine could be male but this isn’t very typical.

Father. This is an authority figure who offers a reward to the hero for completing their ‘quest’ or ‘mission’. The reward is usually a woman, based on the ideas of fairytales.

Helper. They help the hero and often act as a sidekick.

Donor. This character usually gives the hero something such as a clue to help them complete their ‘quest’ or ‘mission’. They can sometimes double up in a ‘team’ with the helper.

Mentor. They teach and guide the hero.

Roland Barthes.• Roland Barthes believed that narrative is like a ball of string that

can be unravelled in different ways, so in terms of narrative it can be interpreted in different ways.

• He describes there being five codes that we use to interpret the meaning from the narrative. These five codes are enigma, action, semantic, symbolic and referential codes. For the genre of gangster films, the two most important for me are enigma and action codes.

• Action codes are when the audience see something and immediately know that action is going to come up next.

• Enigma codes are when the audience don’t know what is going to happen next. Part of the story is unexplained and the audience are left with questions.

In the opening of pulp fiction, the audience are met with enigma codes. They will wonder who this couple are and why their conversation is so important. This leads to them being unsure of what is going to happen next and this creates an interest in the scene. There is then an action code of the close up shot of a gun provides the audience with an insight into what will happen next, as the anticipated action then occurs. This film therefore follows Barthes five codes theory.

Claude Levi-Strauss.• Claude Levi-Strauss suggests that all narrative has to be driven

forward by conflicts caused by a series of opposing forces. • It is a case of action versus enigma, which is based on Barthes

theory of there being five codes.• Some of these opposing forces could include light/dark,

good/evil, noise/silence, youth/age, right/wrong, poverty/wealth, strength/weakness, inside/outside.

• He calls this the theory of binary oppositions and describes how each main force in a narrative has its equal and opposition.

Films that follow this narrative theory include those such as The Departed.

Films that do not follow this narrative theory structure included ones such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.