Level 2 Media Unit 1C: Narrative

Linear narratives: Todorov’s Narrative Structure

Narratives in the media can be either linear or non linear. A linear narrative quite literally follows a line, with a clear beginning, middle and end. Increasingly though narratives are non linear, where the story moves around in time and space, using techniques such as flashback, flashforward, a range of concurrent narratives and narrators (characters who tell the story).

Many Hollywood films and TV dramas still follow a basic linear structure. The theory we use to analyse these was originated by a media writer called Todorov.

Todorov (1973)’s model of narrative structure may be used across a variety of forms (fictional / non-fictional) and a range of media (print, TV, film, games etc..)

Todorov’s model, which is also known as the equilibrium / disequilibrium model, is as follows:

All stories are similar in structure, in that they share a movement across a series of three phases which relate to a “problem” or a disruption:

OR:

Equilibrium Dis-equilibrium New equilibrium

The type of narrative problem and its resolution will depend on the genre of the film. So in a crime story, the narrative problem is the solving of a crime. There are twists or elaborations of characters as suspects. Eventually the problem will be resolved with the arrest or death of the lawbreaker.

Looking at the opening or climax of a film can establish what narrative problems are being established and resolved. Applying Todorov’s model to a whole film can often reveal a basic structure behind what appears to be a complicated story.

Genre example

Establishing problem

Elaboration / development

Complication Action climax Resolution

RomanceJane the virgin

Jane a Catholic woman discovers that she was accidentally artificially inseminated

The donor turned out to be her crush and someones husband and then they start going out on the low

The biological father is the new owner of the hotel where Jane works, and was her former teenage crush

She decides to keep the baby

Horror There is a house full of murdering

The Witches are killing/harming

The girls use a resection spell in order to bring a

When the girls are getting

To fix the problem and re gain their

1.Establishing a narrative “problem”

2.Elaboration of problem

(development 3.complication

4.Action climax cclimax)

5.Resolution

voodoo/black magic witches

people who come in their way.There are girls who are witches living under a head witch.

good boyfriend back who had died. A woman had found a lady who was very cruel and had a potion thinking it was for love when it was for eternal life in order to suffer to see the whole world go by while she is in a coffin buried but got out.

interviewed one of the witches get paranoid about the situation which leads to the witch admitting the truth about what really happened. Which lead their head witch go into their room and push them onto the floor.

masters trust by going and making a good boyfriend out of dead body parts of different men using the resurrection spell

ActionLuke cage

A detective wants someone to pay him $100,000 for guns but ends up getting shot in the stomach and in the leg.

The police are trying to arrest the detective because they know the detective has done some illegal work to be able to get shot.

An officer is doing an inside job so they are delaying the investigation.

Interview with a woman

Detective dies and the man who shot the detective gets arrested

Sci FiDamon is born in the 1800 and was born in a town called Mystic falls. Damon and his brother happen to fall in love with a 500 year old vampire who is called Katherine. She declares her love to them however both Damon and

Damon and Stephan have not fallen in love with a girl called Elena who was Katherines doppelganger. However Stefan was dating Elena but Damon acted like he did not care that they were dating and becoming the bad brother.

Elena finds out about Supernaturalism. Damon acts like he does not know what she is talking about sarcastic around everyone

Elena and Damon have had good moments between them. An example of this would be when he shows up in Elenas room in the night or whenever she was in need of help when it came to helping to save her friends. All of a sudden

Eventually as the programme goes on Damon and Elena fall in love then eventually start dating.

his brother die trying to protect Katherine therefore leading Damon and his brothers turning into vampires

Katherine comes back and trys to create problems between all four of them