Frankie Benningfield

1.11 Narrative theory glossary

Todorovs theory
Todorovs theory suggests that there is a three part structure to every narrative.
This three part structure consists of a beginning of equilibrium, where everything
is balanced, and then an ending of resolution, which is when equilibrium is
restored.

Propps theory
Propps theory suggests that there are normally eight different characters in films
and other programmes etc. These eight different characters are:

The hero- the leading character of the story and the one who receives the
final prize
The helper- the character that aids the hero in the story
The donor- the character that aids the hero by giving him something.
The villain- the character that is often the cause of the dis- equilibrium and
is fighting against the hero.
The prize- this is the reward the hero receives because of the good he has
done. This prize could be a princess.
The father- the character that gives the hero the quest
The dispatcher- the character that spots the dis- equilibrium and sends for
the hero
The anti- hero- the character that takes credit for the heros work even
though they havent contributed much. They do this to appear like a hero
to others around them.
A good example of where many of these characters are used in a film is
Shrek
The hero- shrek
The helper- donkey
The prize- his swamp/ princess
The villain- lord farquaad

Frankie Benningfield

Barthes Semiotic codes

Roland Barthes was a philosopher, literary theorist, linguist and semiotician.
In nearly any narratives Barthes narrowed down the action to five codes.

Enigma code- a part of the story that is left unexplained to create tension.
An enigma can be at any point of the story.
Action code- the moment that triggers the main action of the narrative.
Semantic code- these are the connotations that are made throughout the
narrative to support its structure without being direct to the audience.
Symbolic code- when opposites in a narrative are used in contrast to
move the plot forwards, eg. Good and evil.
Cultural code- is when the culture of the narrative is shown by the mise en
scene.

Levi Strauss Binary Opposites theory

Strauss theory refers to the use of opposites to build up a narrative structure.
Some examples of these opposites are:

Male and female

Good and evil
Young and old