Vladimir PROPP (1895-1970) He identified: 8 character roles 31 functions which move the story along For example the

e punishment of the villain

Propps 8 character roles or spheres of action

The villain The hero - a seeker character motivated by an initial lack The donor - who provides an object with some magic property The helper - who aids the hero The princess - a reward for the hero and object of the villains schemes Her father - who validates the hero The dispatcher - who sends the hero on his way The false hero

Tzvetan TODOROV

Todorov developed the theory of disrupted equilibrium

He identified that stories follow a typical pattern of: Equilbrium Disequilibrium Equilibrium Equilbrium - the status quo where things are as they should be Disequilibrium - the status quo is disrupted by an event Equilibrium - is restored at the end of the story by the actions of the hero

Roland BARTHES
Barthes believes the there are 5 action codes that enable an audience to make sense of a narrative.

hermeneutic
we know where the story will go next

proairetic
eg detective interviews suspect

cultural
eg our attitudes to gender or racial stereotypes

semic
intertextuality

symbolic
iconography or a theme such as image versus reality

Claude LEVI-STRAUSS
Claude Levi-Strauss is most well known for his theory of Binary Oppositions. Levi-Strauss used the Western film genre to develop his theory of Binary Oppositions.

Homesteaders

Native Americans

Christian
Domestic Weak

Pagan
Savage Strong

Garden
Inside society

Wilderness
Outside societyy