Narrative Investigation

Emma Matthew

What is Narrative?

• Narrative refers to the different types of story structure that genres employ as well as the actual story-telling devices and narrative moments which they are associated with.

• There are narrative structures such as LINEAR narrative. This means that there is a clear beginning, middle and end. AIRSTOTLE developed the basic linear structure. He observed that the middle section may involve some crisis resolved by the end of the story.

• There is also a CIRCULAR narrative structure where the beginning is the same as the end of the film.

• Freytag developed Airstotle’s basic triangle, the idea of the plot complicating.

• The rising and falling action may vary during film trailers, typically with the slow buildings rising action with an abrupt ending which usually uses a series of shot takes and fast pace editing.

Narrative Theorists • Vladimir Propp – Proposed that it was possible to classify the characters and their

actions into clearly defined roles and functions.

- The Hero (seeks something)

- The Villain (opposes the hero)

- The Donor (helps the hero by providing useful objects)

- The Dispatcher (sends the hero on their way)

- The Helper (gives support to the hero)

- The Girl (reward for the hero, also needs protection from villian)

• An example of this would be Shrek

• Tzvetan Todorov – Suggests most narratives will follow this structure:

• Equilibrium – how the place and characters begin at the beginning of the story.

• Disequilibrium – a disruption of the equilibrium

• Recognition – of the disruption

• Resolution – plan to resolve the disequilibrium

• Restoration of the equilibrium – The story returns back to the beginning.

Narrative theories linking to the horror genre

I think Todorov’s theory links quite clearly to the horror genre. The protagonist always starts fairly happy in life, but after the recognition of a problem, which leads to the introduction of the antagonist other known as the killer, often masked, or monster-like, the tension rises as they are faced with life or death situations in which they must fight evil if they want to survive. However, often in the horror genre, the state of equilibrium is never returned (even if the audience is tricked into believing all is back to normal), twists such as ‘the killer isn't really dead’ are favourites within this genre, an example of this would be Nightmare on Elm Street.

I also believe that Roland Barthes’ theory does adhere to the horror genre in some ways, specifically within the sub-category of Enigma, in which the protagonist is faced with a puzzle or riddle that has to be solved in order for the film to conclude. An exampled of this would be Saw, in which to survive, the victim must over come a series of horrific ‘games’. In addition to this, the police try desperately to figure out who the masked killer is, and stop him.