Research: Narrative theory

 Narrative theory

Narrative is the organisation given  to a series of facts and it outlines the story line. This is important for the audience as they understand and construct meaning using our experience of reality and of previous and the text through its relationship with the audience. 

 

Propps

Propps was mainly interested in narrative folk tales. He came up with the idea that characters have a narrative function: they provide a structure for the text.

 

Propps has introduced its characters

• The Hero
• The Donor
• The Dispatcher
• The false hero
• The Princess
• The Villain

According to Propps the characters go through different stages which include the following:

Complication  is a state of disorder - The hero plans action against villain.

Transference - The hero reacts to the donor.

Struggle between the hero and the villain  - the villain has to be overcome.

Recognition - the false hero or villain is unmasked.

Return - the hero arrives home and is not recognised. 

Some critics claim there are many more character types than Propps suggests and we should feel free to identify them.

Propps theory relates to the thriller genre. This is because it includes conventional and expected characters for example the audience would always expect a villain/ dangerous character.

Tzvetan Todorov

Thinks that everything has a start, middle and end which in his interpretation as the following; equilibrium and then a disequilibrium is created and then a new equilibrium.

There are five stages the narrative can progress through:

• A stage of equilibrium everything is normal.
• A disruption of that order by an event.
• A recognition that the disorder has occurred.
• An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption
• A return or restoration of a new equilibrium.

Todorov argues that narrative involves a transformation. The characters or the situations are transformed through the progress of the disruption.

The first scene of the Scream movie can be related to Todorovs as the scene starts calm as the young girl is preparing for a calm night making popcorn which is the equilibrium. Then we are introduced to the mysterious phone calls from the killer. This is where the disequilibrium is created as there is a disruption. Furthermore, the family comes and a new equilibrium is created.  

Aristotle

The importance of plot. It is important to arouse emotion from the audience, and this is mainly within tragedy. Also evoking emotions through themes.

 

Barthes

Semiology within narrative. 

Narrative can be defined by using the following things:
 Symbolic - connotation

Semic - denotation

Cultural understanding - events which can be recognised as being part of a culture.