This document discusses key concepts in narrative and plot, including: - Narrative is the art of telling a story through connected events, while plot refers to the main sequence of events. - Successful stories combine elements like characters, plot, and setting. - Theorists like Roland Barthes identified narrative codes like action codes that prepare audiences and enigma codes that pose questions. - Other concepts discussed include binary oppositions, Vladimir Propp's spheres of action, and Todorov's theory of narrative equilibrium and disruption.

1. Plot and Narrative

2. What is narrative and plot?
Narrative: Narrative is the art of telling story or an
account of connected events.
Plot: The main events of a film, book, TV programme
and are presented in a connected sequence.
There are key elements that make up a story and these
aspects need to be combined to create a grander product
of the story.
These elements include characters, plot, setting etc.
Narrative is the way that these elements are combined to
create a coherent text.

3. What feelings does this image evoke?

4. What it shows (in my opinion)
Martin Luther King is shown waving down to hundreds
of people giving him a status of power and influence
over mainly shown by the positioning of MLK and the
followers as well as the vast amount followers in
watching him.
The context of the photograph is that it’s a historical
event of the oppression of black people being rejected
and MLK being victorious against the oppressive force
of America
This image was taken on Algiers Street and was one of
the most iconic image of the 20th century.

5. Roland Barthes & Action Codes
Barthes specified a multitude of Narrative Codes with
the most relevant being Action/Enigma Codes.
Action Codes allow the audience to understand what is
to come and how to react to what’s going to happen
next.
An example would be two characters talking about what
someone is doing then the film cutting to them.
This action allows the film to transition to a different
storyline completely and prepares the audience for this.

6. Roland Barthes and Enigma Code
Enigma Codes are where the media text presents the
audience with a question that will be answered by the
end of the media text
An example would be at the beginning of a Detective
Show where a murder victim is shown and the murderer
and his motive is unknown to the audience and will be
revealed through the episode.
Other Narrative Codes:
Symbols and Signs are used as identifiers and clues to
help piece the story slowly together.

7. Claude Levi Strauss & Binary Oppositions
Binary Opposition: a pair of related ideas that possess
opposite meanings and are used in movie to carry
forward a narrative theme
Examples:
Good & Bad
Male & Female
Man & Machine
Dark & Light

8. Vladimir Propp and Folklore
 Propp was a theorist who studied Fairy Tales and Folklore
 From this work he identified 31 plot elements, and develop 8
spheres of action narrative theory or character types which
include:
1 – The villain
2 – The hero
3 – The donor
4 – The helper
5 – The princess
6 – Her Father
7 – The dispatcher
8 – The False hero

9. Todorovs Equilibrium
He was a Bulgarian Theorist who was interested
Narrative Structure
His most popular theory was Equilibrium and it goes
1) Equilibrium: There is a state of Equilibrium and all is
well
2) An event disrupts this and the order is broken
3) A recognition of the disorder occures
4) There is a effort to repair the disorder
5) A restoration takes place and a new Equilibrium is
present