2. What is Narrative
Narrative is the story of film or media text.
Narrative includes:
● Main Character
● Secondary Characters
● Scene
● Problems faced
● Outcome of the problems
3. Vladimir Propp
Russian Critic Vladimir Propp believe narrative believed in character theory. This suggested
that characters are part of the base structure of the story:
●Hero- a character who seeks something
●Villain- aims to prevent hero for getting what he wants
●The Donor- Gives the hero something to aid them on there journey
●The Dispatcher- the person who sends the hero on there journey
●The False hero- Tries to cover up or stop hero by making false claims
●The Helper- helps along the journey
●The Princess-Acts as the reward and tends to part of the villains plot
●Her Farther- Rewards hero for effort
Hero
Helper
False Hero Villain
4. Tveztan Todorov
Todorov’s theory has three main parts:
• The text begins with a state of equilibrium – everything appears to be normal or calm
• There is some kind of disruption or disequilibrium – this is often a threat to the normal
situation or it could be just a setback
• A new equilibrium is produced to end the narrative. In the best narratives there is some kind
of change for the better perhaps in the main character’s behaviour or outlook on life
Todorov suggests there are five stages to how the narrative progresses:
1. The equilibrium has to be carefully shown (otherwise the disruption may not be dramatic
enough to create a strong plot)
2. There is a disruption
3. There is a recognition that a disruption has happened
4. There is an attempt to repair the damage done by the disruption
5. A new equilibrium is achieved.
Narrative is not seen as linear, but as circular. The narrative is driven by the characters’
attempts to restore the equilibrium, although the end result is not quite the same as the
beginning
5. Roland Barthes
Barthes suggested five codes:
• The hermeneutic code (the enigma)
• The proairetic code (the action)
• The semic code (the images)
• The symbolic code (the subtext)
• The referential code (the cultural influence)
6. Claude Levi Strauss
Levi brick Strauss introduced the notion of binary oppositions as a useful way
to consider the production of meaning within narratives. He argued that all
construction of meaning was dependent, to some degree, on these
oppositions.
Examples:
Good vs Evil
Male vs Female
Humanity vs Technology
East vs West
Dark vs Light
Dirt vs Cleanliness
