The main narrative theories that can be identified in most narratives are: Propp's Character Archetypes, Todrov's Narrative Theory, Barthes Narrative Theory and Levi-Strauss' Narrative Theory
Propp's Charecter Archetypes-
Vladamir Propp was a Soviet scholar who analysed the basic plot components of Russian folk tales to identify their simplest narrative elements. Propp argued that whatever the surface difference between stories and fairytales, they all share the same internal structure. He also concluded that all the characters could be resolved
into 8 broad character types in the 100 tales he analysed:
- The Villain — struggles against the hero; usually an older, ugly, sly and manipulative male.
- The Dispatcher — sends the hero off on his quest.
- The (magical) helper — helps the hero in their quest, usuallyless good-looking or clever, but essential to their success.
- The Donor (often also a helper) — prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical or essential object in order to aid them on their quest.
- ThePrincess(orprize)—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 thwarting and beating the villain. The princess tends to be beautiful and good natured, but ultimately weak and passive, a pawn or prize to be won.
- The Oracle – an older wise figure, usually male, who provides essential wisdom, information or clues to aid the hero on his quest.
- The Hero or victim/seeker hero — young, brave and strong, traditionally almost always male; quick to accept his task and commence his quest; reacts to the donor, wins and weds the princess.
- False Hero — takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess.
Todrov's Narrative Theory-
Tovetan Todrov was a Bulgarian literary theorist, who suggests that most narratives start with a state of equilibrium in which life is normal and protagonists are happy. This state of normality is disturbed by an outside force, which has to be fought against in order to return to a state of equilibrium.
Here's how it pans out:
This concept is widely applied to many different films and books.
Barthes Narrative Theory
Roland Barthes is a French Semiologist who suggested that narrative works with five different codes which activate the reader to make sense of it. These five codes are:
Roland Barthes is a French Semiologist who suggested that narrative works with five different codes which activate the reader to make sense of it. These five codes are:
- Action - a narrative device of 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 - a connotation, representation of a theme or idea
- Semic - a 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 was a social anthropologist that studied myths of tribal cultures. He examined how stories unconsciously reflect the values, beliefs and myths of a culture.
These are usually expressed through the use of binary opposites. His research has been adapted by media theorists to reveal underlying themes and symbolic oppositions in media texts.
A binary opposite is a conflict between two qualities or terms. Examples of this would be:
- Protagonist-Antagonist
- Weak-Strong
- Domestic-Savage
- Introvert-Extrovert
