Narrative theory analyzes how media texts communicate meaning about events through stories. Several theorists have contributed concepts to narrative theory, including Propp who identified character archetypes, Todorov who described narratives as moving from equilibrium to disruption to new equilibrium, and Barthes who identified five codes that make up narratives. Levi-Strauss introduced the concept of binary oppositions in stories, such as representing good as civilized and bad as savage. Genre theory categorizes films by type and studies them as members of genres rather than as unique works. Theorists Buckingham and Altman noted that genres are not static but evolve through negotiation, change, and hybridization with other genres over time.

1. Narrative Theory
Narrativetheory analyses the way in which media texts communicate meaning
about events.
Theorist Key Words
Propp He was a Russian theorist who suggests that there are a limited
number of character types that share a function.
1. The villain.
2. The hero or character who seeks something.
3. The donor who provides an object with some magic
property.
4. The helper, who aids the hero.
5. The princess, reward for the hero, an object of the villains
schemes (can be male).
6. Her father, who rewards the hero.
7. The dispatcher, who sends the hero on his way.
8. The false hero, the character who also lays claimto the
princess but is unsuitable and causes complications.
Todorov He is a Bulgarian theorist. He suggests most narratives start with a
state of Equilibrium in which life is ‘normal’ and protagonists are
happy. All films have a beginning, middle and an end.
Barthes Roland Barthes had 5 codes;
1. Action Code which refers to the events taking place through
action e.g. a fight or chase.
2. Referential Code which refers to the information and
explanation.
3. Semantic Code which refers to the characters and
characterisation.
4. Enigma Code which is a narrative device that teases the
audience by presenting a puzzle or riddle to be solved.
Works to delay the story’s ending pleasurably.
5. Symbolic Code which refers to the connotations of signs.
Levi-Strauss He came up with the term BINARY OPPOSITIONS. It means in all
stories there is a good and a bad.
 The good: Christian, domestic, weak, princess, pretty,
innocent.
 The bad: pagan, savage, dark, wilderness forests, ugly and
devious.

2. Genre Theory
Genre Theory means ‘type’ or ‘category’. To study a film as a genre
involves treating it, not as a unique entity, but as a member of a
general category, as a certain type of film.
Theorist Key Word
Buckingham ‘Genre is not…simply “given” by
the culture: rather than, it is in a
constant process of negotiation
and change.’
The evolvement of the genres.
Altman “There is no such thing as ‘pure’
genre anymore. Genre is
progressive, in that it will always
change.”
Hybridisation(two genres merged
to one)