1. Narrative Theory
Narrativetheory analyses the way in which media texts communicate meaning
about events.
Narrativetheory can be applied to rangeof different media including film, TV,
photographs and magazines.
Theorist Key words
Propp (1928) Was a Russian theorist
Villain-lordFarquhar
Hero-Shrek
Donor-
Helper- Donkey
Princess- princessFiona
Father-
dispatcher
false hero
Todorov (1969) Bulgarian literary theoristsuggests
most narratives startwith a state of
equilibrium in which life is normaland
protagonists arehappy. This model
can easily be applied to a wide range
of fairy tale, fiction texts and films and
folk lore.
Equilibrium> disequilibrium> resolution (new
equilibrium)
Barthes (1960) Roland Barthes had 5 codes
The 5 codes:
Action code- e.g. fight scene
Referential code- Refers to the
information and explanation.
Semantic code- Refers to characters
and characterisation.
Enigma code- Puzzles or riddles to be
solved by the audience.
Symbolic code- Refers to the
connotations of signs.
Levi-Strauss (1972) Social anthropologist, studied myths of tribal
cultures. His theory is called binary
opposites.
