2. SUMMARY OF NARRATIVE
THEORY
NARRATIVE THEORY SUGGESTS THAT EVERY NARRATIVE IS
HOW GROUPS OF FACTS AND EVENTS ARE INTERLINKED
WITH EACH OTHER, WHEN GIVEN A NARRATIVE THE
HUMAN MIND WILL NEED TO MAKE SENSE OF THIS
NARRATIVE BY CONNECTING THESE FACTS TOGETHER
AND MAKING INTERPRETATIONS BASED ON HOW WE
CONNECT THESE FACTS. NARRATIVE IS HOW THE STORY
IS RELATED, AN AUDIENCE HAS EXPECTATIONS OF
NARRATIVE IN THE SENSE THAT THEY HAVE A PREVIOUS
KNOWLEDGE ON WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A PIECE OF
MEDIA IN TERMS OF NARRATIVE. THIS FOREKNOWLEDGE
COMES FROM THE CODES AND CONVENTIONS THAT HAVE
THE AUDIENCE HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN WITNESS TO IN
THE FORM OF CONSUMING MANY DIFFERENT PIECES OF
NARRATIVE.
3. LEVI-STRAUSS
LEVI-STRAUSS SUGGESTS THAT IN EVERY
NARRATIVE THERE IS A BINARY OPPOSITE
CONFLICT, THIS MEANS THAT A CONFLICT COULD
BE BETWEEN GOOD VS EVIL, MEN VS WOMEN,
LIGHT VS DARK, TECHNOLOGY VS NATURE, WAR
VS PEACE AND MANY MORE AND THAT ANYTHING
THAT IS AN OPPOSITE AND WOULD BE ABLE TO
HAVE CONFLICT WOULD MEET LEVI-STRAUSS’
THEORY OF NARRATIVE. LEVI-STRAUSS STATES
THAT WE SEE THE WORLD, PEOPLE AND PLACES
BY FORMING BINARY OPPOSITIONS HIS THEORY
STATES THAT ALL NARRATIVES ARE ARRANGED
AROUND THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE
OPPOSITES.
4. TODOROV
TODOROV SUGGESTS THAT EVERY MEDIA PRODUCT FOLLOWS
THE SAME SET OF RULES IN WHAT THE NARRATIVE MUST
FOLLOW IN ORDER TO BE EFFECTIVE. TODOROV SUGGESTED
THAT CONVENTIONAL NARRATIVES ARE STRUCTURED IN FIVE
STAGES:
1. A STATE OF EQUILIBRIUM AT THE OUTSET;
2. A DISRUPTION OF THE EQUILIBRIUM BY SOME ACTION;
3. A RECOGNITION THAT THERE HAS BEEN A DISRUPTION;
4. AN ATTEMPT TO REPAIR THE DISRUPTION;
5. A REINSTATEMENT OF EQUILIBRIUM OR A NEW EQUILIBRIUM
CREATED.
5. PROPP
PROPP IS THE THEORIST THAT SUGGESTS THE
DIFFERENT CHARACTER TYPES TAT A NARRATIVE
USUSALLY HAS FEATURED HAS FEATURED WITHIN
ITS PLOT, THE CHARACTER TYPES THAT HE
SUGGESTED ARE AS FOLLOWS; THE VILLAIN, THE
DONOR, THE HELPER, THE PRINCESS, THE
DISPATCHER, THE HERO, THE FALSE HERO. THESE
CHARACTER TYPES CAN BE APPLIED TO NARRATIVE
IN THE SENSE THAT IN MOST OF THE FILMS AND THE
SHORT FILMS THAT WE HAVE RESEARCH SUCH AS NIGHT
SWIM AND THE RATTLER HAVE A VILLAIN, HOWEVER WE
DECIDED TO ADAPT OUR STORY TO HAVE THE VILLAIN
POSING AS A FALSE HERO AS WELL.
6. APPLICATION OF NARRATIVE
THEORY
THE WAY THAT WE CAN APPLY NARRATIVE
THEORY TOWARDS OUT OWN FILM IS IN THE
SENSE THAT WE WILL HAVE AN IMMEDIATE
UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLES OF VILLAIN
(ANTAGONIST/EVIL) AND HERO
(PROTAGONSIT/GOOD) IN THE RAPE SCENE.
HOWEVER, WHILST THE FALSE HERO HAS
BEEN PORTRAYED AS A GENUINELY FRIENDLY
CHARACTER, THE PLOT TWIST IS THAT HE IS
UNCOVERED AS THE VILLAIN.
