Narrative is the organization of a series of events that gives coherence and meaning. Humans naturally seek narrative structures to make sense of events, looking for a beginning, middle, and end. Media texts employ narrative to engage audiences without too much effort. Aristotle identified the basic linear plot structure with a clear beginning, middle, and end, where the middle may involve a crisis resolved at the end. Vladimir Propp examined fairy tales and identified 8 character types and 31 narrative functions that move the story along. Tzvetan Todorov developed the theory of disrupted equilibrium where the status quo is disrupted by an event but then restored at the end by heroes. Horror narratives follow this pattern, disrupting the status quo with a

1. What is narrative?
Narrative is the coherence or organisation given to a series of events. The human
mind needs narrative in order to make sense of events. In all aspects our of lives,
we seek a beginning, middle and an end to make connections of events.
Media texts are generally organised as audiences need to be able to engage with
him without requiring too much effort on their behalf in terms of understanding.

2. Narrative Structures
Aristotle identified the basic linear plot structure.
The linear structure suggests there is a
clear beginning, middle and end to a
narrative and that the middle section may
involve a crisis or disruption of an event
which will be resolved later at the end.

3. Narrative Theorists
Vladimir Propp (1895-1970) - He examined hundreds of fairy tales in the generic
form 'folk wonder tale'. He broke down the tales into the smallest units, which
he called narrative functions, necessary the for the narrative to exist. From his
research he identified 8 character types and 31 functions which move the story
along.
Although the main plot is driven by the actions of the protagonist (usually the
hero), the 31 narrative functions are spread between all the main characters.
Prop defined the character categories as: villian, the donor, the helper, the
dispatcher, the princess, the father, the hero and the false hero.
Tzvetan Todorov - developed the theory of disrupted equilibrium:
- Equilibrium - the 'status quo' where things are as they should be and
undisrupted.
- Disequilibrium - the 'status quo' is disrupted by an event
- Equilibrium/resolution - restored at the end of the story by the actions of the
heroes.
Claude Levi-Strauss – Narratives are structured by pairs of binary oppositions.

4. What narrative theories link to the genre horror?
From a perspective, Todorov’s narrative theory of equilibrium can be applied to the
genre of horror as the beginning of the film may see the ‘status quo’ as how they
should be, being introduced to the protagonist who may become to victim . A
disruption however, may occur, forcing the victim to perhaps transform into the
hero figure in order to solve the problem that is causing other characters to be
scared and afraid. The solving of the problem, (e.g. Destroying the monster) at the
end could be seen as the resolution of the narrative.
In addition, in his essay The Philosphy of Horror, Noel Carroll sets out the traditional
narrative structure of a horror film in three stages – similar to what Todorov
proposed:
oThe first he names as the ONSET PHASE where a disorder is created, generally in
the form of a monster.
oNext comes the DISCOVERY PHASE where the characters of the story discover that
the disorder has occurred.
oThe third phase known as the DISRUPTION PHASE where the characters destroy
the course of the disorder and restore normality.