MEDIA NARRATIVE THEORIES

Shania Steele

ARISTOTLE

Over 2000 years ago, Aristotle observed that all narratives had a beginning, a middle and an end.

A narrative should be created within a unity of time place and action. It should all take place in the same location, in real time and with all action moving towards a logical and moral conclusion.

TODOROVAll narratives begins with equilibrium (initial situation) where everything is balanced.

This is followed by some form of disruption.

A resolution is at the end of the narrative and a new equilibrium is often established.

Five Stages

The State of equilibrium

Event disturbs the equilibrium

Main protagonist notices that the equilibrium has been disrupted.

Protagonist tries to change the situation to restore equilibrium.

Equilibrium is restored but with some changes meaning it is a new equilibrium which has been established.

Equilibrium- Disequilibrium- New Equilibrium

PROPP

He studied fairytales and found that all narratives have a similar structure.

He noticed that narratives are shaped and directed by certain types of characters and specific kinds of action.

He believed that there are 31 possible stagers or functions in any narrative. Not all of them occurred in a single story but they always appear in the same sequence.

LEVI-STRAUSS

He investigated how stories unconsciously reflect the values, beliefs and myths of a culture. We make sense of the world, people and events by seeing and using binary opposites everywhere. All narratives are organised around the conflict between such binary opposites.

Examples of Binary opposites:

Good vs Evil

Black vs White

Boy vs Girl

BARTHES

Narratives work with five different codes which activate the reader.

The codes are as follows:

Action- Narrative device by which a resolution is produced through action.

Enigma- Narrative device which teased the audience by presenting a puzzle or riddle to be solved. It works to delay the story’s ending pleasurably.

Symbolic- (connotation)

Semic- (denotation)

Cultural- Narrative device which the audience can recognise as being part of a culture