This document discusses several theories of narrative and genre. It outlines Vladimir Propp's idea that there are a limited number of character types in narratives, including villains, heroes, donors, helpers, and princesses. It also describes Tzvetan Todorov's theory that narratives can be broken into codes like action, reference, semantics, enigma, and symbolism. Finally, it discusses genre theory and how genres are recognizable through codes and conventions, but also change over time through hybridization and reflecting social values.

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Narrative Theory
Narrative: “A chain of events in a cause-effect relationship occurring in time” (created by
Bordwell & Thompson).
Narrative is “a way of organising spatial and temporal events into a cause-effect chain of
events with a beginning, a middle, and end that embodies a judgement about the nature
of events” (thought of by Brannigan).
Russian Theorist Vladimir Propp suggested in 1928 that there’s a limited number of
character types that have 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, and object of the villain’s 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.
Jungle Fury (Because I’m a massive child/nerd):
■ The villain: Dai Shi, Jarrod, Camille.
■ The hero: Casey, Lily, Theo, RJ, Dominic.
■ The donor: RJ, The Jungle Masters.
■ The helper: Fran.
■ The princess: Lily, Fran, Camille (for Theo, Dominic and Jarrod respectively)
■ The father: N/A.
■ The false hero: Jarrod at the start of the series.

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Tzvetan Todorov’s Theory (in 1969)
A narrative theory made by Roland Barthes’ in the 1960s claimed that a story’s narrative can
be broken into five codes/sets of rules to help make sense of it all.
1. Action code which refers to the events taking place through action e.g. a fight or a
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
Claude Levi-Strauss (1972)
Social Anthropologist. Studied myths of tribal cultures. Examined how stories
unconsciously reflect the values, beliefs and myths of a culture. These are usually
expressed in the form of binary oppositions. His research has been adapted by
theorists to reveal underlying themes and symbolic oppositions in texts.
The Good The Bad
Christian (kings queens etc) pagan (witches)
Domestic savage
Weak princesses strong wrong doers
Safe castles dark wilderness forests
Pretty ugly

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Innocent devious
Allan Cameron created the Modular Narratives theory, claiming that since the 1990s there’s
been a trend towards narrative complexity within popular cinema.
Anachronic:
Modified flashbacks/flashforwards.
No clear dominance between narrative threads.
Forking-Path
Alternative outcomes and versions of the story.
Outcomes that might result from slight changes.
Episodic
Collection of stories joined by a common theme.
Split Screen
Spatial rather than temporal lines.
Some theorists suggest that postmodern narratives are different from previous narrative
structures. Characteristics of postmodern narratives include:
■ Irony, playfulness, and black humour
■ Intertextuality
■ Pastiche
■ Metanarratives
■ Extreme self-reflexivity/self-awareness
■ Temporal distortion
■ Hyper-reality
Genre Theory
“The word ‘genre’ 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. The
aim…is therefore to classify, or organise, a large number of films into a small number of
groups.”
Genre offers audiences a structure or framework enabling us to feel secure in our
knowledge. Audiences like the anticipation of waiting for the predictable features and
getting involved in a text. Audiences can influence genres by reviving them. We are more
advanced than audiences of the past simply because we’ve seen more films than anyone in
the history of the media, so we expect genres to be played with.
David Buckingham argued in 1993 that genre “isn’t simply ‘given’ by the culture: it is a
constant process of negotiation and change.” He believes that changes in genre reflect
changes in our society and our values. For example, fears have changed over the years and
thus horror movies have changed and altered in what is considered scary.

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Film Theorist Altman argued in 1999 that “there is no such thing as “pure” genre anymore.
Genre is progressive, in that it will always change. He says that generic conventions are very
much a thing of the past. His theory suggests that audiences, in general have become tired
of the same formula and need more to keep them entertained and to create appeal. He says
that genre is surviving due to “hybridisation – or genres “borrowing” conventions from one
another and thus being much more difficult to categorise.”
Ryall argued in 1978 that genres are recognizable through the repeated use of generic codes
and conventions, as how we as the audience know a horror film is a horror film.
■ He suggests that the types of conventions found in genres might be grouped within
the following categories:
■ Iconographies: (symbolic forms associated with the genre)
■ Narrative: (structure, open/closed)
■ Representations: (characters/stereotypes)
■ Ideologies (beliefs and ideas of the ‘ideal’ concept, themes)