Vladimir Propp analyzed Russian folk tales and identified 31 plot elements and 8 character types that commonly appeared. Propp found that while characters and stories varied greatly, the underlying narrative structures remained the same. These included character types like the hero, villain, and helper. Narrative theories also seek to understand common story structures, such as Todorov's three-step theory of equilibrium, disequilibrium, and new equilibrium, and the idea of binary opposition between two conflicting sides driving the narrative. Hansel and Gretel follows many of these common narrative patterns, such as having the children as heroes, the witch as villain, and a linear story structure moving from their initial situation to overcoming dangers in the forest.

1. Task 9- Narrative Structure
Vladimir Propp analyzed plot components of Russian folk tales to identify
basic narrative elements. He looked at 100 different folk tales and came to
the conclusion that they had all been made up of 31 plot elements, or
functions as he called them. Propp also found that even though there were
a very large number of characters, there were actually only 8 different
character types. These character types could occasionally fit with multiple
characters, or a character could follow more than one of the character
types.
These Character Types included:
The Hero- This character usually leads the narrative, going on a quest,
looking for something or trying to solve something, so we follow this
character throughout the story. They are usually the character we want to
succeed. In my story, it could be argued that both Hansel and Gretel are
Heroes as through the story we follow them both, however I have chosen
Gretel to be my Hero as she is the one that pushes the witch into the oven
and rescues Hansel from the cage.
The Villain- This is the character that struggles against the Hero, often
seeking to prevent the Hero from achieving their goal; this could be
because they are after the same thing, or because they want to see the
Hero fail. The Villain will typically be shown as being morally bad, and
serves to bright to light the goodness of the Hero. In my story, the Villain
would be the witch, as she tricks the children and plans to kill and eat
them. In more common versions of the story, the mother figure plays an
evil step-mother who sends the children out into the forest potentially to
die, she could also be seen as a Villain. However, in my story I have altered
this to make the mother less of an evil figure.
The Princess/Prize- This is the most varied of the types, as the Princess
can take two forms. One form is that she is the object sought by the Hero.
This could be because the Villain has taken her, as often she will be
pursued by multiple characters, including the Villain or False Hero. The
second form of Princess character, is that she is a reward for some kind of
competition or mission, and they gain the Princess’ affections or hand in
marriage. Instead of a character, the Hero could be seeking some other
kind of reward or prize. This could be anything, however in my story of
Hansel and Gretel, the prize they seek is to get home.
The Donor- The role of the Donor is to assist the Hero by giving them
something special, which will aid them in their quest, such as a weapon,

2. clue or special power. This role can often be combined with that of a
Helper. There is no Donor in my story, but one example of a Donor is that
of the Wizard, Merlin, in Shrek 3. This character aids the Hero by casting a
spell to get them back to Far Far Away. During the spell, something goes
wrong and two of the helpers switch bodies, but in turn they learn to
understand one another more.
The Helper- This role consists of a character who supports the Hero on his
or her quest. They often appear at critical moments to provide support.
The Helper is often seen as being weak or clumsy and so on compared to
the Hero, making them seem more intelligent, determined, courageous etc.
In Hansel and Gretel, I chose Hansel as my Helper. As I said before, both
Hansel and Gretel are practically equal in the story, however Hansel tries
to help them in their ‘quest’ by leaving breadcrumbs so that they could
find their way back. He is also seen as the lesser of the two, as he is the one
that gets locked in the cage to be fattened up and eaten first. He has to be
saved by Gretel.
The Princess’ Father- Usually, this character will give a task to the Hero, as
often the Hero wants to win his daughter. In Hansel and Gretel, this
character is not as traditional as there is not a specific Princess character.
In the more traditional Hansel and Gretel fairytale, the mother is an evil
step-mother who send them away, where as the father does not want this
to happen, so Propp’s idea of the Princess’ father would fit better into the
older, more classic fairytale, as in my version, the parents are almost equal,
and not seen as evil.
The False Hero- The False Hero is a character who appears to act
heroically and sometimes can be mistaken for the real Hero. This character
will often try to take light away from the actual Hero, possibly try to marry
the Princess instead. They make the audience as well as other characters
think they are being morally good when often they are not. The witch in
my story plays the role of the False Hero as well as the Villain, as she
pretends to be good and help the children, when in fact she tricks and
traps them, with plans to fatten them up to eat them.
The Dispatcher- This character often starts at the very beginning of the
story, sending the Hero on the mission or quest. This role can be fulfilled
by a family member, such as a mother or father, just as with the Princess’
Father. The Dispatcher can often be combined with another role, such as
the False Hero, who may send them in the wrong direction and so on. This
role applies to the mother in Hansel and Gretel, in both my version and
older versions where the mother is evil, as she is the one who sends the
children into the forest.

3. Russian Structuralist Todorov thought that all narratives followed the same path.
He made a 3 and 5 step version of his idea. The 3 step version included:
1. The Equilibrium: Where the story begins. The character’s lives are in
balance, and their day-to-day life is normal, no matter what that is.
2. The Disequilibrium: The disruption of normality. The story really starts
here, as this is where an event occurs and changes the lives of the
characters. Whether simple, or dramatic, the story now revolves around
the characters reaction to the event and the story follows them as they
attempt to return to their everyday life (equilibrium).
3. The New Equilibrium: The end of the story. This is where things return to
normality, or a version of normality, where it is expected that things will
continue as they are at the end of the story.
The 5 step theory is just a longer process which describes the same set of events.
1. The Equilibrium- Normality.
2. The Disruption- An event disrupting normality.
3. The Recognition- Realization that something has disrupted normality.
4. Attempt to Repair- Characters try to fix what has happened.
5. Restoration to New Equilibrium- Return to normality.
In Hansel and Gretel, in terms of the 3 step theory, the Equilibrium is Hansel and
Gretel both living with their parents as a poor family.
The Disequilibrium would be the children being taken to the forest and not being
able to find their way home.
The New Equilibrium would be Hansel and Gretel returning home to their family.
The Binary Opposition is an idea that there can only be a story when two
opposing sides come together. This idea was created by French Theorist Claude
Levi Strauss, who said that the conflict between the two sides is what drives the
story. Some examples of Binary Opposition include:
 Good vs Evil
 Men vs Women
 Young vs Old
 Humans vs Aliens
 Humans vs Animals
In the story of Hansel and Gretel, there could be two options for the Binary
Opposition. It could be Good vs Evil, as the children are good, but the witch is evil
and they have to escape from her. However, I think Hansel and Gretel is more to
do with Young vs Old, as at first, the children are forced to leave by their parents
who would be old, compared to their young age. As well as this, the witch is an
old lady who traps them, and again, they are against her. So in this story the
Binary Opposition is most likely to be Young vs Old.

4. Types of Structure
Open and Closed Narratives:
An Open Narrative is one which doesn’t reach a conclusion. The story continues
and often run from episode to episode, such as soap operas or comic books.
A Closed Narrative however, does reach a conclusion with a media text. The large
majority of films have a closed narrative, often beginning and ending within the
length of the film.
Hansel and Gretel has a closed narrative as there is a beginning and an end to the
story and the reader is not left wanting to know what happens next. This is
typical of a children’s book, as an open narrative would leave them very confused
and they would not understand the book.
Single Strand and Multi-Strand Narratives:
A Single Strand Narrative only has one storyline. Children’s books are often
single strand narratives as it would be difficult for children to understand a
multi-strand narrative.
A Multi-Strand Narrative has many different storylines. Some films will use
multi-strand narratives, such as Memento and Cloud Atlas. Soap operas and
crime related programs such as CSI will also include multi-strand narratives.
As said previously, children’s books often have single strand narratives, and
Hansel and Gretel does not differ from this. The story has one storyline, following
the children’s journey trying to find their way home after being left to fend for
themselves in the forest.
Linear and Non-Linear Narratives:
Linear Narratives start from the beginning, following straight through the story
to the end. Each of the events in the story will happen in order and each step will
follow the next. Films, books and journalism often use linear narratives as it is
simple and easy to understand, so therefore a popular method of story telling.
Non-Linear Narratives do not follow through the story straight through. They
often use flashbacks/flash forwards to jump around in time. They can be
confusing, however can work well if used successfully. Some examples of Films
include Pulp Fiction and The Life of Pi.
Hansel and Gretel has a linear narrative as it stops any confusion for children
reading the book. Step-by-step events help the children to keep up with what is
happening in the story.

5. Realist and Anti-Realist Narratives:
Realist Narratives are based on real life. They are believable events which could
happen in the real world, to almost anyone. This type of narrative often looks at
the day to day reality of people’s lives.
Anti-Realist Narratives involve events, characters and locations etc. which are
extremely unlikely or even impossible to find in real life. Sci-fi and Fantasy are
the most common genres to use Anti-Realist narratives.
Hansel and Gretel has an anti-realist narrative as it is highly unlikely that
children would be made to go and fend for themselves in the forest, and to then
come across a house made of sweets, inhabited by a witch who wants to eat
them. The only realistic part of the story is that there is a family who is very poor
and cannot afford to look after their children.
Many children’s books have anti-realist narratives, often featuring
anthropomorphism and magic, to make stories more interesting and to inspire
the child’s imagination.