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Narrative - Key terms¨ Narrative: The story - what happens or what is depicted¨ Narrator: The person who tells the story (first or third

person)¨ Linear/Chronological – Told in order events occurred in¨ Non Linear – Events told out of sequence e.g. flashback¨ Parallel storylines / multi-thread narratives – Several story

elements occurring at the same time¨ Cyclical – A story that goes round in a circle¨ Cause and effect – often motivated by the needs and

wishes of the characters¨ Single/Multiple viewpoints – The number of ways or

points of view through which we see the story¨ Narrative enigma – mysteries which engage the audience

Narrative - Key Terms¨ Restricted narration – when we see an event

through the viewpoint of only one person. This can add surprise as we only discover events alongside them

¨ Omniscient narration – when we see events from multiple viewpoints. This can add suspense as we are privy to information other characters are not

¨ Audience positioning – the way we are manipulated to see things from one character’s point of view

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Narrative Theories¨ Tzvetan Todorov:¨ Stories happen or information is given in a certain

order1) A state of equilibrium - all is in order2) A disruption of the ordered state by an event3) A recognition that a disruption has taken place4) An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption5) A return to some kind of equilibrium

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Narrative Theories¨ Vladimir Propp: Morphology of the Folktale

¨ Characterises narratives in terms of functions of certain stock characters, what they do, and around whom narratives are structured

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Vladimir Propp¨ The hero, who is the character who seeks something¨ The villain, who opposes or blocks the hero’s quest¨ The donor, who provides an object which has some magic

property¨ The dispatcher, who sends the hero on his way by

providing a message¨ The false hero, who disrupts the hero’s hope of reward by

pressing false claims¨ The helper, who aids the hero¨ The princess, who acts as reward for the hero and as object

of the villain’s scheming¨ Her father, who acts to reward the hero for his efforts

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Claude Levi-Strauss¨ Levi-Strauss looked at narrative structure and

themes in texts in terms of Binary Oppositions. ¨ Binary oppositions are opposite values that reveal

the structure of media texts.¨ Levi-Strauss argued that you could also tell a

cultures values from the privileged binaries¨ For example, if you read the word “coward” you

decode it by referring to values that our culture relates both to cowardice and its binary opposite term, heroism.

Claude Levi-Strauss¨ Hero¨ Natural¨ Good¨ Male¨ Rational¨ Strong¨ Day

¨ Coward¨ Artificial¨ Evil¨ Female¨ Emotional¨ Weak¨ Night

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