Media Studies

Todorov’s Narrative Theory

Equilibrium – a sense of normality

Disruption – resolved and a new normality is established.

New disruption –

Todorov suggested that stories always begin in a state of equilibrium where opposing forces are in balance. Then an event will disrupt the equilibrium and a chain of events will follow until equilibrium has been restored.

Propp

Vladimir Propp’s theory that ‘characters’ in narratives serves ‘functions’.

Hero (seeks something) Villain (opposes the hero) Donor (helps the hero by providing a magic object) Dispatcher (sends the hero on his way) The false hero (acts good turns out to be bad) The helper (gives support to the hero) The princess (the prize for the hero but also needs protection) Father (usually the one that gives rewards to the hero)

Levi Strauss

Really difficult

Barthes said there are various ‘codes’ in narratives

Enigma – teasing the audience by giving them puzzles or riddles to be solved.

Action – events develop and unfold through action sequences. For example; a gun fight, a car chase etc.

Symbolic – (connotations) the audience may pick up on symbolic aspects of the narrative, there may be metaphors in the film, characters may be metaphors for wider themes, events may be symbolic of wider themes.