Narrative Construction

Narrative theory studies are the devices and conventions which govern the organization of a story (fictional or factual) into a sequence.

I am going to look at a number of different theorists with different ideas including:

§  Todorov

§  Vladimir Prop

§  Claude Levi-Srauss

§  Roland Barthless

Todorov

Todorov is a linguist who suggested that stories begin with an equilibrium where any potentially opposing forces are in balance. This is disrupted by some event, setting in a chain series of events. Problems are solved so that order can be restored to the world of the fiction.

This is an example diagram I found on google:

Vladimir Propp

Propp  looked at 100’s of folk tales and identified eight character roles and thirty on narrative functions.
The eight character roles are:

1.      The villain (s)

2.      The hero

3.      The donor

4.      The helper who aids the hero

5.      The princess – reward for the hero and object of the villains schemes

6.      Her father – who rewards the hero

7.      The dispatcher – who sends the hero

8.      The false hero

The thirty one narrative functions are:

1. A member of a family leaves home (the hero is introduced);
2. An interdiction is addressed to the hero ('don't go there', 'don't do this');
3. The interdiction is violated (villain enters the tale);
4. The villain makes an attempt at reconnaissance (either villain tries to find the children/jewels etc; or intended victim questions the villain);
5. The villain gains information about the victim;
6. The villain attempts to deceive the victim to take possession of victim or victim's belongings (trickery; villain disguised, tries to win confidence of victim);
7. Victim taken in by deception, unwittingly helping the enemy;
8. Villain causes harm/injury to family member (by abduction, theft of magical agent, spoiling crops, plunders in other forms, causes a disappearance, expels someone, casts spell on someone, substitutes child etc, comits murder, imprisons/detains someone, threatens forced marriage, provides nightly torments); Alternatively, a member of family lacks something or desires something (magical potion etc);
9. Misfortune or lack is made known, (hero is dispatched, hears call for help etc/ alternative is that victimized hero is sent away, freed from imprisonment);
10. Seeker agrees to, or decides upon counter-action;
11. Hero leaves home;
12. Hero is tested, interrogated, attacked etc, preparing the way for his/her receiving magical agent or helper (donor);
13. Hero reacts to actions of future donor (withstands/fails the test, frees captive, reconciles disputants, performs service, uses adversary's powers against him);
14. Hero acquires use of a magical agent (directly transferred, located, purchased, prepared, spontaneously appears, eaten/drunk, help offered by other characters);
15. Hero is transferred, delivered or led to whereabouts of an object of the search;
16. Hero and villain join in direct combat;
17. Hero is branded (wounded/marked, receives ring or scarf);
18. Villain is defeated (killed in combat, defeated in contest, killed while asleep, banished);
19. Initial misfortune or lack is resolved (object of search distributed, spell broken, slain person revivied, captive freed);
20. Hero returns;
21. Hero is pursued (pursuer tries to kill, eat, undermine the hero);
22. Hero is rescued from pursuit (obstacles delay pursuer, hero hides or is hidden, hero transforms unrecognisably, hero saved from attempt on his/her life);
23. Hero unrecognized, arrives home or in another country;
24. False hero presents unfounded claims;
25. Difficult task proposed to the hero (trial by ordeal, riddles, test of strength/endurance, other tasks);
26. Task is resolved;
27. Hero is recognized (by mark, brand, or thing given to him/her);
28. False hero or villain is exposed;
29. Hero is given a new appearance (is made whole, handsome, new garments etc);
30. Villain is punished;
31. Hero marries and ascends the throne (is rewarded/promoted).

 Vladimir Propps research generally links to fairy tales, but can also be linked to hundreds of stories.

Claude Levi-Strauss

Levi-Strauss looked at narrative structure in terms of binary oppositions. Binary oppositions are sets of opposite values which reveal the structure of media texts. An example would be GOOD and EVIL - we
understand the concept of GOOD as being the opposite of EVIL. Levi -Strauss
was not so interested in looking at the order in which events were arranged in
the plot. He looked instead for deeper arrangements of themes. For example,
if we look at Science Fiction films we can identify a series of binary
oppositions which are created by the narrative:
Earth

Space

Good

Evil

Humans

Aliens

Past

Present

Normal

Strange

Known

This links into genre conventions which the audience expect for example my short film idea is a romance therefore we would be able to identify a series of binary oppositions such as:

Kissing
Good
Happy
etc.