1. Narrative isdefinedas‘achainof eventsinacause andeffectrelationshipoccurringintime’
(Bordwell &Thompson)
Narrative is‘a wayof organisingspatial andtemporal eventsintoacause andeffectchainof events
witha beginningmiddle andend thatembodiesjudgementaboutthe nature of the events
(Branigan)
Braniganarguesthat narrative is‘a way of organisingspatial andtemporal dataintoa cause – effect
chain
VladimirPropp (1928)
Proppwas a Russiantheorist –suggestedthatthere are a limitednumberof charactertypesthat
share a function.
Whenan audience readsamediatextitdeploysitsknowledge of thesecharactertypesinorderto
decode the meaningof the text.
1. The villain
2. The hero
3. The donor
4. The helper
5. The damsel indistress
6. The damsel father
7. The dispatcher
8. The false hero
Roland Brothers (1960’s)
Narrative can be brokendownintofive codes
Actioncode:eventstakingplace throughaction
Referential code:the informationand explanation
Semanticcode:charactersand characterisation
Enigmacode:teasesthe audience bypresentingapuzzle orriddle tobe solved.Workstodelaythe
story’sending.
Symboliccode:referstothe connotationsof signs
Claude Levi – Strauss
Conflictbetweentwoqualitiesorterms
The good the bad
Kings,queens witchesanddeamons
2. Domestic savage
Weakprincess strongwrong doers
Safe castles dark wildernessforests
Pretty ugly
Innocent devious
Taylorswiftmusicvideo
Equilibrium–geekygirl inlove withboynextdoorwhofriendzonesher
Disequilibrium –boys girlfriend cheatsonhim?
Resolution –the geekygirl getsthe boynextdoor
Hero – Taylor swift
Villian–the evil girlfriendwhocheats
Princess – the boy
The videoinvolvesanumberof pairsof oppositesreflecting(andresolving) the narrativeconflicts
