Narrative theory

Exam revision sheet – Media Studies A2 level Q1(b)

Narrative theory

Branigan has said that, “narrative is a way of organising...data into a cause and effect chain of events with a beginning, middle and end…” We tend to see most things in this way, for example, a day at school. When thinking of our own lives, we tend not to see lots of mini fragments, but a big story with a beginning, middle and end. In a way, narratives help us make sense of the world. Kruger, Rayner and Wall have gone as far as to say, “narrative is an important source of reassurance in a hostile universe.” There is clearly some validity in this. We like to think that there will be a “happy ever after” for all of us. This is why so many people go to watch films. Even if our own lives are uncertain, we know that things will work out for the best in the world of a film—most of the time. Narrative is part of the pleasure that audiences gain from Hollywood entertainment in particular. Things often make sense in the narrative of a film that do not make sense in ‘real’ life. There are usually clearly defined motives/reasons in films that ‘cause’ other things to happen. In life, this is not always so and it can make things difficult to understand. Think back, if you can, to being a little child, you probably remember asking ‘but why?’ all the time. You may have heard the answer ‘it just is’ and felt very frustrated. Films do not generally do this, they give us pleasure in part because they tell us ‘why’.

Some narrative techniques:

Enigma – a puzzle, a narrative technique designed to intrigue the viewer and encourage them to watch further.

Retardation – Holding back key information from the audience so they are unsure what is happening and likely to watch further to find out.

Ellipsis - a basic narrative technique used in classical continuity editing which sees time compressed in order for the narrative to progress more quickly (editing out the boring bits!)

Twist – an unexpected turn of events designed to shock the audience.

There are different theories and ideas about narrative that you will need to be aware of. The ideas and theories below are just that, ideas and theories. The first two in particular are not ideas you can apply to every media text. It would be foolish to try and many people believe these ideas have been discredited. Remember, your ideas about the narrative of a particular text are equally important. The ideas below may help you think about the way narratives are structured and what is typical and unconventional

Propp’s theory

Vladamir Propp investigated Russian fairy story narratives and said there are set character types and events associated with them. So, the fairy story genre contains

Theory/idea Definition Example Vladimir Propp’s theory

Propp investigated Russian fairy story narratives and said there are set character types and events associated with them. So, the fairy story genre contains the same types of characters/events. Propp identified: The hero The villain The donor The dispatcher The helper The princess All these characters, he argued, have their own motives and are likely to cause events and take sides. Conflict is central to these stories. Propp’s theory has been applied to films, tv and even news. It can sometimes be difficult to apply but often applies well to crime dramas, thrillers, horror movies etc







Exam revision sheet – Media Studies A2 level Q1(b)

the same types of characters/events. Propp identified:

· The hero· The villain· The donor· The dispatcher· The helper· The princess All these characters, he argued, have their own motives and are likely to cause events and take sides. Conflict is central to these stories. Propp’s theory has been applied to films, television and even news. It can sometimes be difficult to apply but often applies well to crime dramas, thrillers, horror movies etc

Todorov’s theory

Todorov’s idea is perhaps more useful to you. He saw narratives as structured around a basic formula:

Equilibrium - Disequilibrium - New equilibrium Equilibrium means balance, so the idea is that with most narratives there is calm at the start, then a disruption that causes things to become upset or unbalanced. Then, at the end, things return to some sort of balanced, calm state. Of course, there can be numerous disruptions within the plot and often there is some kind of climax before the final state of calm is achieved.

Classical Hollywood narrative This is a typical Hollywood narrative structure, whereby the story is driven by the protagonist (main character) and there is a strong sense of closure: all enigmas that are raised are resolved at the end. You need to be aware of this traditional structure so you can comment when a film does not do this, e.g. it leaves some loose ends or leaves the audience in suspense. Examples are The Italian Job or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Causality

This is the term given to the relationship between two events. It is what makes a narrative. For example, the king dying and then his wife dying is not a narrative. There has to be some kind of cause and effect. Therefore, the king dying and the queen dying of grief is a narrative. If you find this hard to remember, just try to remember that narratives are made up of cause and effect and you won’t go far wrong.







Narrative theory

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