Narrative Theories

TZVETAN TODOROV

Todorov's theory suggests that a story goes like this:

• At the beginning, there is equilibrium. This means that everythig is in balance, and 'normal'.
• Then, an event (or events) occurs that upset this balance. Suddenly, things are far from 'normal'.
• The problem is then solved, and we are restored to equilibrium again.

A simple example of this is an episode of the television sitcom 'Friends'. At the beginning of an episode, all members of the group are fine. But then something happens, which must be resolved within the half an hour episode to restore balance by the end of it. For example, episode 30, 'The one with the baby on the bus':

• At the beginning of the episode, everything is normal. Ross is looking after his young son Ben, and decides to eat some of his sister Monica's kiwi pie. Equilibrium.
• He then has an allergic reaction to the pie, and Monica has to take him to the hospital. This leaves Ross and Monica's friends Joey and Chandler to look after young Ben. Disequilibrium.
• Joey and Chandler use Ben in attempts to seduce women, which results in them leaving him on a bus. Disequilibirum.
• They spend a lot of time and worry trying to find Ben. Disequilibrium.
• They eventually find Ben, and Ross comes back from hospital after recieving an injection for his allergy. Ross is well and looking after his son again; balance is restored. Equilibrium.

VLADIMIR PROPP

Propp's theory looks at the characters in a story. He suggested this theory after looking at 100 folk tales, and identifying 8 character roles. The character roles are:

• The villian - struggles against the hero
• The hero - reacts to the donor, marries princess
• The donor - prepares the hero, or gives him a magical object
• The helper - helps the hero in his quest
• The princess - considered the hero's prize
• Her father - gives the task to the hero, identifies false hero
• The dispatcher - sends the hero off
• The false hero - takes credit for hero's actions or tries to marry princess

CLAUDE LEVI-STRAUSS & ROLAND BARTHES

Levi-Strauss and Barthes looked at narrative structure in terms of binary oppositions. These are set of opposite values which reveal the structure of media texts. An example would be good and evil; we understand the concept of them being opposites of one another. Strauss and Barthes looked for deeper arrangements of these themes rather than the order in which events of a story are arranged. For example:

• Good vs. Evil
• Past vs. Present
• Normal vs. Strange
• Known vs. Unknown

BORDWELL AND THOMPSON

Bordwell and Thompson defined narrative as "a chain of events in a cause-effect relationship, occuring in time and space". They didn't create a full theory of narrative, but put together ideas that a narrative typically begins with one situation, a series of changes occur according to a pattern of cause and effect, finally a new situation occurs that brings the end of the narrative.