Narrative

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    Narrative - Presentation Transcript

    1. Narrative Do we need a theory?
    2. Story vs. Narrative • Story = what happens • Plot = the part of the story we actually see/ hear/read • Narration = how it’s told
    3. A definition • A narrative is a way of organising spatial and temporal data into a cause-effect chain of events with a beginning, a middle and end that embodies a judgement about the nature of events. –Edward Brannigan (1992)
    4. Myths and Archetypes • Many theories of narrative start with the idea that all narratives have common features. • For example: hero, villain, helper, princess (or reward) • All of these words come loaded with expectations and connotations.
    5. Joseph Campbell • Campbell’s theory of narrative has found some currency in the modern hollywood blockbuster. • It’s often called The Hero’s Journey
    6. Hero’s Journey • Like the standard Hollywood film, The Hero’s Journey has three acts: • Departure • Initiation • Return
    7. Departure • The Call to Adventure - everything is about to change • Refusal of the Call - at first, the hero is reluctant • Supernatural Aid - the Guide or Helper appears • The crossing of the first threshold - into the unknown • The belly of the whale - a symbolic death or low point, completely cut off from his old way of life
    8. Initiation • The Road of Trials - a series of tests or ordeals • Meeting with the Goddess - an all-powerful, unconditional love, or union of opposites • Woman as Temptress - the hero is tempted by a weakness to stray from his journey • Atonement with the Father - a confrontation with an ultimate power • Apotheosis - the hero reaches a higher state of being • The Ultimate Boon - the achievement of the quest - but what now?
    9. Return • Refusal - who needs normal life? • Magic Flight - sometimes the hero has to flee with the boon/gift • Rescue from Without - the hero has a Guide/Helper who gets him back to everyday life • Crossing the Return Threshold - reconciling his new being with the person he used to be • Master of the Two Worlds - achieving a balance • Freedom to Live - mastering the fear of commitment/depth
    10. Useful? • Is it useful to break down narratives into constituent parts in this way? • Can you identify any problems with the Campbell model? • Can you think of a film it fits well – and one it doesn’t fit at all?
    11. Todorov • Tzvetan Todorov argued that all stories followed the following basic structure: • Equilibrium (opposing forces in balance) • Disruption by an event (followed by a chain of events) • Resolution with a new equilibrium
    12. Deceptively Simple • While Todorov’s theory simply seems like another way of describing a “beginning, middle, and end.” it’s actually a lot more complex. • As usual, we’re talking about ideology and power relations.
    13. “Balance” • If a narration begins with an idea of equilibrium or balance, whose idea of normal is it? • If our equilibrium is disrupted by an event, what exactly is an event? • Events are slippery. What seems to have come out of the blue can be re-narrated so that it comes at the end of a previous narrative, not the beginning of this one! Events easily lose their eventhood.
    14. Alternative Views • Events can be arranged in a time-line (a horizontal ordering of events) • Or they can be arranged according to the ideas they contain. • This means narratives are sometimes examined in terms of their binary oppositions (good- evil; inside-outside; feminine-masculine; and so on)
    15. Who knows what? • In the narration, does the viewer know more than the narrator? • Whose is the narrative point of view? • Does the narrative “cheat” in any way? • Are events narrated in real-time, or is time compressed or extended? • Singular event narrated once, or many times? • Recurring event narrated once, or more often?
    16. Narratives in Different Media • Even a still photo can contain a narrative. • Each medium has its own strengths and limitations • Some narratives are closed (e.g. a film); others are more open (e.g. long-running series or soap)
    17. Cropping can change the narration of a photo, as in this iconic shot of Kim Phuc Phan Thi taken by Nick Ut in Viet Nam in 1972.
    18. How are stories narrated in the following media? • Comic strips / graphic novels • A 2-hour film • A long-running TV series (e.g. Buffy, Lost) • A computer game.

    + The Cottesloe SchoolThe Cottesloe School, 2 years ago

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    Although narrative isn't classed as a Key Concept i more

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