Vladimir Propp Propp suggested that every narrative has eight different character types:
The villain — fights the hero in some way.
The dispatcher — character who makes the villain’s evil known and sends the hero off.
The (magical) helper — helps the hero in the quest.
The princess or prize — the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. The hero’s journey is often ended when he marries the princess, thereby beating the villain and resulting in a “happily ever after” moment.
Her father — gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, and marries the hero, often sought for during the narrative. Propp noted that functionally, the princess and the father cannot be clearly distinguished.
The donor — prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
The hero or victim/seeker hero — reacts to the donor, weds the princess.
False hero — takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess.
Todorov's Theory This theory works on the idea that there are five stages the narrative can progress through: 1. A state of equilibrium (All is as it should be.) 2. A disruption of that order by an event. 3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred. 4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption. 5. A return or restoration of a NEW equilibrium
Roland Barthes Roland Barthes was a French Semiologist. Through his work he suggested that narrative works with five different codes which activate the reader to make sense of it. He also used the terms denotation and connotation to help analyse images.
Action – a narrative device by which a resolution is produced through action, e.g. a shoot-out.
Enigma – a narrative device that teases the audience by presenting a puzzle or riddle to be solved. Works to delay the story’s ending pleasurably.
Symbolic – (connotation)
Semiotic – (denotation)
Cultural – a narrative device which the audience can recognise as being part of a culture e.g. a “made man” in a gangster film is part of the mafia culture
Claude Levi-Strauss Social Anthropologist, studied myths of tribal cultures. Examined how stories unconsciously reflect the values, beliefs and myths of a culture. These are usually expressed in the form of binary oppositions. His research has been adapted by media theorists to reveal underlying themes and symbolic oppositions in media texts.
Binary opposites are a theory developed by Claude Levi-Strauss, which stated that narrative is driven by opposites. Binary opposites can be anything, from good vs evil, to dark lighting vs bright lighting. He believed this is what gives text meaning, alongside the fact that one is usually seen as more positive than the other.