This document discusses narrative theories proposed by Vladimir Propp and Claude Levi-Strauss. It summarizes Propp's analysis of Russian folktales, in which he identified 8 character roles and 31 functions that advance the story. Propp viewed narratives as having fixed structural elements derived from culture. The document also summarizes Levi-Strauss' theory of binary oppositions, in which he analyzed themes in genres like Westerns in terms of paired opposing concepts. Students are asked to identify Propp's character roles in a chosen film and propose binary oppositions found in crime or horror genres.

1. Propp and Strauss
Narrative Theory
Read and complete the tasks in each
section

2. Theories of Narrative Vladimir PROPP (1895-1970)
The Morphology of the Fairy Tale, 1928
Propp examined hundreds of fairy tales in the generic form ‘the folk
wondertale’.
He identified:
•8 character roles (or ‘spheres of action’)
•31 functions which move the story along -
examples include the punishment of the villain
(usually at the end of the story); the ban of an
action (eg. If Sleeping Beauty touches a spinning
wheel, she will die)

3. Theories of Narrative Vladimir PROPP (1895-1970)
The Morphology of the Fairy Tale, 1928
Propp’s 8 character roles or ‘spheres of action’
•The villain
•The hero - a seeker character motivated by an initial lack
•The donor, who provides an object with some magic property
•The helper, who aids the hero
•The princess, a reward for the hero and object of the
villain’s schemes
•Her father, who validates the hero
•The dispatcher, who sends the hero on his way
•The false hero
adapted from (Branston and Stafford, 1996)

4. Theories of Narrative Vladimir PROPP (1895-1970)
The Morphology of the Fairy Tale, 1928
Propp’s theory is a form of structuralism, which is a view that all media is
inevitably in the form of certain fixed structures.
These structures are often culturally derived and
form expectations in the mind of an audience
from within that same culture eg fairy tales
always have happy endings or the princess
always marries the handsome prince.

5. Theories of Narrative Vladimir PROPP (1895-1970)
The Morphology of the Fairy Tale, 1928
Propp’s theory can be applied to generic structures in Western culture, such
as popular film genres.
Thus genre structures form expectations in the
mind of an audience that certain rules apply to
the narrative. However, cultural change can force
structures to change eg a hero can now be a
woman

6. Theories of Narrative Vladimir PROPP (1895-1970)
The Morphology of the Fairy Tale, 1928
BLOG TASK:
Identify as many of Propp’s 8 ‘spheres of action’ from a film of your choice as
you can, explain how they fit into each category -
•The villain
•The hero - a seeker character motivated by an initial lack
•The donor, who provides an object with some magic
property
•The helper, who aids the hero
•The princess, a reward for the hero and object of the
villain’s schemes
•Her father, who validates the hero
•The dispatcher, who sends the hero on
his way
•The false hero

7. Theories of Narrative Claude LEVI-STRAUSS
Claude Levi-Strauss is most noted for his theory of Binary
Oppositions.
French structuralist, 1970s
In order to find those oppositions, Levi-Strauss was less
interested in
syntagmatic relations i.e.how events line up in the
narrative structure to develop the plot,
than paradigmatic relations i.e. those events and
features that belong to the theme of the piece,
especially within genre based texts.

8. Theories of Narrative Claude LEVI-STRAUSS
Levi-Strauss used the ‘Western’ film genre to develop his theory
of Binary Oppositions.
French structuralist
Homesteaders Native Americans
Christian Pagan
Domsetic Savage
Weak Strong
Garden Wilderness
Inside society Outside society

9. detective villain
princess femme fatale?
criminal ‘straight’
weak strong
safe streets ‘mean streets’
sane mad
poor ? rich
Theories of Narrative Claude LEVI-STRAUSS
Levi-Strauss used the ‘Western’ film genre to develop his theory
of Binary Oppositions.
French structuralist

10. Theories of Narrative Claude LEVI-STRAUSS
BLOG TASK:
Explain what BINARY OPPOSITES are.
What binary oppositions can you think of from the crime or
horror genres?
French structuralist