Narrative theory

1. Narrative Theory
UNIT 11

2. Branigan (1992)
Beginning
Middle
End
‘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’

3. Vladimir Propp (1928)
He found that every film had 8 main characters:
Villain
Hero
Donor (provides magical prop)
Helper
Princess
Father
Dispatcher (send the hero on their quest)
False Hero

4. Tzvetan Todorov (1969)
Equilibrium
Disruption of equilibrium
Recognition of the disruption
An attempt to repair damage
New equilibrium

5. Roland Barthes (1960’s)
5 codes:
Action
Referential (information for the audience)
Semantic (refers to characters)
Enigma (a puzzle of quest to solve)
Symbolic (connotations of signs)

6. Claude Levi-Strauss (1972)
Binary Opposite
For example:
Innocent – Devious
Domestic – Savage
Pretty - Ugly

7. Allan Cameron (2008)
4 different paths
Anachronic (unclear storyline connection that resolves at the end)
Forking – paths (example, Groundhog Day, the same situation happening with slight changes)
Episodic (collection of storylines joined by a common theme, example Mother Day)
Split scenes (Spatial rather than temporal lines)

8. Genre
UNIT 11

9. Buckingham (1993)
Genre: Horror
He believes that the content may differ, but the principals of the genre stays the same.
What was scary in the 1900’s isn’t scary today.

10. Rick Altman 1999
‘there is no such thing as “pure” genre anymore’ – meaning that there isn't a film that focus
solely on one genre, it will interact with others. For example, a comedy will most likely have
some romance or action in it.
If there is no comedy or action or other genre input, audience may find that a films’ content and
material gets boring or repetitive if they only concentrate on romance.
‘Hybridisation’ is the ‘borrowing’ of other genre conventions.

11. Tom Ryall (1978)
Types of conventions can be categorised: ex, Horror:
Iconographies: Symbolism in horror films: scary house, darkness, creepy music.
Narrative: Family move into new house, manifestations occur, they get disturbed or connect
with the ‘other world’, they move out of the house or get it blessed.
Representations: Stereotypes: the villain not being who you think, characters: family members,
ghosts/vampires/spirits etc.
Ideologies: the fact that ghosts are real or contacting the afterlife.