1. BH
Info Sheet: Narrative
Tvetzan Todorov
Equilibrium - A sense of normality, the calm before the storm, normal everyday life for the world and characters.
Disruption -The point where the story changes; a death, an event, a situation.
Restoration - Where normality is restored; they all live happily ever after.
Example: Superman Returns
• Equilibrium - Nothing out of the ordinary here; an introduction to Superman growing up; Superman is doing
what he does best (saving people); Lois Lane on a plane could act as a 'mini' disruption.
• Disruption - Introduction to Superman's arch-enemy Lex Luthor who is planning to take over and
exterminate the world. Superman and Lex Luthor meet and fight until it looks like Superman will lose and
die.
• Restoration - Superman lives, Lex Luthor is destroyed, Lois Lane is safe and well and it is revealed that the
little boy is their son.
Vladimir Propp's Character Types
• Hero
• Villain
• Princess
• The false hero
• The donor
• The princess' father
• The helper
Example: Star Wars
• Hero-Luke Skywalker
• Villain-Darth Vader, Darth Maul
• Princess - Padme Amidala, Princess Leia
• The false hero - Anakin Skywalker (actually turns into
Darth Vader!)
• The donor - Han Solo ('donates' his spaceship to help
the cause)
• The helper- Obi-Wan Kenobi
Lewi Strauss - Binary Oppositions
The idea that conflict drives the narrative, for example:
• Good vs bad
• Man vs woman
• East vs west
• Black vs white
And so on.
Example: Pirates of the Caribbean
Rich vs poor The upper class fight the peasants and pirates
Good vs evil The pirates (bad) fight civilians or 'good' pirates
Living vs dead Living pirates/soldiers fight the cursed dead pirates
Water vs land The action takes place both on land and on ships
Military vs pirates Soldiers battle with the pirates
Man vs woman Elizabeth Swann vs Jack Sparrow for example
As you can see, this causes conflicts and fights (which inevitably fit the action-adventure genre) but drives the
narrative through to its end point.
Action-Adventure Resource Pack for AQA GCSE Page 49 of 94 © ZigZag Education, 2010