This document discusses narrative theory and Roland Barthes' contributions. It explains that narrative can be described as how the plot is told to the audience. Barthes believed that narratives share structural features and employ five organizational structures: the action code, enigma code, semantic code, cultural code, and symbolic code. These codes affect how audiences read and interpret texts. The document also provides an example of how these codes could be applied to analyze a film narrative.

1. Narrative Theory

2. Narrative Theory
• Narrative can be described as: “The way
in which the plot is told to the audience”
• Narrative is strongly linked to the audience
and purpose of a text.
• Within film the condensing of time is
important to narrative…This may be done
through techniques such as camera fades.

3. Roland Barthes
Roland Barthes was a French philosopher
who tried to bring meaning to text. According
to Roland Barthes all narratives share
structural features that each narrative weaves
together in different ways.
Despite the differences between individual
narratives, all narratives employ a number of
organisational structures (specifically, five of
them) that affect our reading of texts.
Barthes argues that we should view these
theories as an invitation to take multiple
readings from texts.

4. Narrative theory
Roland Barthes' narrative theory claims that a narrative can be broken down
into five codes or sets of rules. These are:
Action code
Applies to any action that implies
a further narrative action. For
example, a cowboy draws his gun
on an enemy and we wonder what
the resolution of this will be.
Cultural code
Any element in a narrative that is
dependant on peoples knowledge
about how the world works
because of where they have lived.

5. Enigma code
Refers to any element in a story
that is not explained and therefore
exists as an enigma for the
audience, raising questions that
demand an explanation.
Semantic code
Any element in a text that
suggests an additional meaning
by connotations. For example a
skull has connotations of death.
Symbolic code
Similar to the semantic code, but
acts at a wider level where new
meaning arises out of conflicting
ideas.

6. Applying Barthes Narrative theory to our film
Enigma code
We
Our film posters contain enigma code in them. The
poster pictured left has an unexplained figure in the
background. He is dark and blurred to highlight the
subjects domineering presence. In this image lighting
and proxemics have been used to determine the
protagonist and antagonist to the viewer. Our film also
uses the enigma code through a series of unanswered
questions which the audience are left to conclude
Semantic code
Here is an example of enigma code within
our film

7. Applying Barthes Narrative theory to our film
Action code
The action code that can be
applied to our film, is when our
protagonist is going into the
woods the audience wonders
what she is doing there in the first
place.
Semantic code
Both posters use semantic code through colour. We
chose to dress our actress in red to intentionally
connote danger. The red jacket could also signify
blood.