2. WHAT IS NARRATIVE
• Narrative refers to the different types of story structure that genres employ as well as the actual story
telling devices and narrative moments which they are associated with.
• There are narrative structures such as the LINEAR narrative, this means that there is a clear beginning,
middle and end. AIRSTOTLE developed the basic linear structure. He observed that the middle section
may involve some crisis resolved by the end of the story.
• There is also a CIRCULAR narrative structure where the beginning is the same as the end of the film.
• Freytag developed Airstotle’s basic triangle, the idea of the plot complicating.
• The rising and falling action may vary during film trailers, typically with the slow building rising action
with an abrupt ending which usually uses a series of shot takes and fast paced editing.
3. NARRATIVE THEORISTS
• Torodov’s narrative theory states that the narrative will follow this structure;
• EQUILIBRIUM (how the place and characters begin at the beginning of the story)
• DISEQUILIBRIUM (a disruption to the equilibrium)
• RESOLUTION (plan to resolve the disequilibrium)
• RESTORATION TO THE DISEQUILIBRIUM (the story returns back to the beginning)
4. NARRATIVE THEORISTS LINKING TO THE
HORROR GENRE
• Noel Carroll maps out the traditional narrative structure of the horror genre in three stages;
• The first he names the ‘Onset Phase’ where a disorder is created, generally in the form of a monster.
• The second Carroll calls the ‘Discovery Phase’ where the characters of the story discover that the
disorder has occurred.
• The third phase he calls is the ‘Disruption Phase’ where the characters destroy the source of the
disorder and restore normality.
• This is similar to what Todorov stated, he argued that the basis of conventional narrative structure
consists of a initial situation, a problem which disrupts the situation, a resolution of the problem which
allows the reinstatement of the initial situation.
