Vladimir Propp was a literary scholar who developed a theory of narrative structure and character types. He proposed that all stories contain eight character archetypes, including the villain, dispatcher, helper, princess/prize, father, donor, hero, and false hero. Propp's theory influenced filmmaking and suggested that these character types appear in consistent narrative patterns, such as the hero rescuing the princess from the villain. The document then provides examples of how Propp's character types appear in modern films like The Dark Knight, Avengers Assemble, and The Amazing Spiderman.

1. Vladimir Propp
Character theory and narrative structure
By Grace Flynn

2. • Vladimir Propp was a literary critic and a scholar who
founded the idea that a certain type of character was to be
used in every narrative structure. His theory has
influenced many filmmakers to writing and producing
successful narratives. Propp also suggested that all fairy
tales follow a specific narrative structure.
Who was he?

3. • Propp suggested that every narrative has eight different character types, these
character types are:
• The villain — fights the hero in some way.
• The dispatcher — character who makes the villain’s evil known and sends the
hero off.
• The (magical) helper — helps the hero in the quest.
• The princess or prize — the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable
to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. The heros
journey is often ended when he marries the princess, thereby beating the villain
and resulting in a “happily ever after” moment.
• Her father — gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, and marries the
hero, often sought for during the narrative. Propp noted that functionally, the
princess and the father cannot be clearly distinguished.
• The donor — prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
• The hero or victim/seeker hero — reacts to the donor, weds the princess.
• False hero — takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess.
His Character Theory…

4. • In the next slides, It will demonstrate how Propp’s
character types can be applied to most modern-day films
and film trailers.
Application of the
Theory…

5. • This is the character who struggles against the hero.
Typically, with some sort of scarring. The villain will
usually wear dark and mysterious colours, and not very
attractive. This is to juxtapose between the hero and the
villain; to highlight their differences. The villain in the
picture is of “The Joker” who provides an evil presence
in the movie: “The Dark Knight”
The Villain

6. • The character who invites the hero to eliminate the evil.
The “dispatcher” in the picture is of the character “Nick
Fury” in “Avengers Assemble”. He collects the hero(s) in
order to send them off to fight the evil presence.
The Dispatcher

7. • The character who helps the hero fight against evil. The
Helper in the picture is “Robin” in “Batman and Robin”,
he helps the hero by providing a physical presence in
order to destroy the villain.
The Helper

8. • The character who needs to be rescued from the evil
villain. The Princess in the picture is of “Gwen Stacey” in
“The Amazing Spiderman”. She is taken by the villain
and must be rescued by the hero.
The Princess

9. • The character who offers some sort of help to the hero by
providing an object(s) that will help the hero in his/her
quest. The “donor” in the picture is of the character
“Lucius Fox” in “Batman Begins”. He helps the hero
(Batman) by providing him with weapons and armoury.
The Donor

10. • The most common character type; The character who
eliminates the villain and weds the princess. The example
I have used is of “Spiderman” in which he eventually
defeats the evil and weds the princess (Mary-Jane
Watson)
The Hero