2. What is Narrative?
A narrative is a constructive format (as a work of
speech, writing, song, film, television, video
games, photography or theatre) that describes
a sequence of fictional/non-fictional events.
Narrative refers to the way a media texts’
elements are put together to form a story.
3. Narrative Structure
Narrative structure is generally described as the structural
framework that underlies the order and manner in which a
narrative is presented to a reader, listener, or viewer.
• Open or closed structure; Open meaning no final
conclusion to the story, Closed meaning there’s a closure,
as the story has satisfactory ending.
• A Multi-strand structure means there are several narratives
running at the same time, soap opera’s such as Eastenders
do this.
• Popular narrative element is Enigma. This is where the
narrative is mysterious and open to question, leaving the
viewer puzzled and trying to work it out. Film trailers often
use this.
5. Vladamir Propp
Propp studied folk tales and identified a theory about characters and
actions as narrative functions. He identified 8 characters and their
actions within narrative, which he referred to as ‘Spheres of action’;
• The Villain – Opposes and acts against the hero.
• The Hero – The person, usually protagonist, who seeks something.
• The Donor – Provides hero with an object with magical properties.
• The Helper – Who aids the hero.
• The Princess – Reward for the hero, and object of the villains
schemes.
• Her Father – Who rewards the hero.
• The Dispatcher – Who sends the hero on their way.
• The False Hero - Who disrupts the hero’s success by making false
claims.
7. The functions are not prescriptive, rather they are a template from which narratives choose elements.
According to Propp, a tale may skip functions but it cannot shuffle their unvarying order. Some
narratives subvert the functions (although the functions need to be identifiable in order to be
subverted.)
8. Tztevan Todorov
Todorov’s theory consists of a narrative
containing 3 main parts that follow this
order;
1) Equilibrium – Everything appearing to be
normal and calm.
2) Disequilibrium – A disruption to the
equilibrium.
3) Equilibrium – A new equilibrium after the
disequelibrium was resolved.
9. Todorov suggests there are 5 stages to how the narrative
progresses in relation to equilibrium;
1) State of equilibrium clearly shown.
2) Disruption of the equilibrium.
3) Recognition of this disruption.
4) An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption.
5) A return or restoration of a new equilibrium.
Here narrative is not seen as a linear structure but a circular one.
The narrative is driven by attempts to restore the
equilibrium. However, the equilibrium attained at the end
of the story is not identical to the initial equilibrium.
Todorov argues that narrative involves a transformation.
The characters or the situations are transformed through
the progress of the disruption. The disruption itself usually
takes place outside the normal social framework, outside
the ‘normal’ social events.
10. Claude Levi-Strauss
Levi-Strauss wasn’t as interested in looking at the order in which
events happen within the narrative, but focused on deeper
arrangement of themes.
Levi-Strauss proposed that narrative tension is based on
opposition or conflict. He introduced the theory of binary
oppositions. Examples would include;
• Good Vs Evil
• Male Vs Female
• Earth Vs Space
• Technology Vs Humans
• Past Vs Present
• Normal Vs Strange
11. Roland Barthes
Barthes five codes found in narrative;
• The Hermeneutic Code: Any element that causes Enigma.
• The Proairetic Code: An action or event that indicates something
else is going to happen. The way the tension is built.
• The Semic Code: Any element in the text which gives an
additional meaning (Connotation) to the denotation.
• The Symbolic Code: Similar to the semantic code, A structure
which organizes meaning such as through the use of binary
opposites.
• The Referential Code: Looks at the audiences wider cultural
knowledge, morality and ideology, so that the narrative is
believable in its environment allowing the audience to believe
the situation can exist and allows them to personify with
characters involved.
12. Applying Narrative Theories to the
Horror Genre
Propp’s theory can be easily applied to the horror genre, however usually the
hero is perceived as the victim who we empathise with, and who fights
against the villain.
An example of a horror film in which Propp’s characters can be applied to the
1997 film, Scream.
This theory can be
applied to trailers as
well, as generally
these characters are
portrayed in the
Sydney – The Hero. The Killer – Villain. Dewey – The Helper.
same way
We later discover this to be Aids Sydney in her
Stu and Billy, who we trusted mission to defeat the
before and so represent the killer
false hero.
Sydney’s Mother – The
Dispatcher, Her death
sends Sydney on her
way
13. Applying Todorov’s Theory to Dracula (Horror Film)
By applying Todorov’s theory of narrative to Dracula, I can clearly see how the
theory is established; at the beginning of Dracula, the equilibrium is when
Jonathan Harker arrives at the castle posing as a librarian, the disruption is
when Harker gets bitten by
Dracula and then dies and becomes a vampire himself. The recognition of this
disruption is when Van Helsing gets given Harker’s journal and then finds
him as a vampire in a coffin at the castle, therefore realising that Dracula is
real. The repair process then starts when Helsing and Holmwood form an
alliance and go looking for
Dracula and send his reign of terror thereby killing him. The new equilibrium
is when Dracula dies.
Todorov’s theory can not be applied to horror trailers as by resolving the
disequilibrium in the trailer this would give the film away, and take away
the enigma element within the trailer, which is what draws the viewer into
going to see the film. Trailers generally consist of a state of equilibrium
and then disequilibrium, with no equilibrium again, to keep the element of
enigma.
14. Applying Levi-Strauss’ theory to the horror genre
Levi-Strauss’s theory can be easily recognised in horror media texts, as Levi-
Strauss’ theory suggests that narrative consists of binary oppositions. Such
binary oppositiins in horrors include;
• Good-Evil
• Victim-Killer
• Danger-Safety
• Imprisoned-Freedom
• Fear-Relief
• Life-Death
• Insanity-Sanity
Horrors such as Scream uses Victim Vs Killer, Dracula uses Good Vs Evil, Saw
films use Imprisones Vs Freedom.
