Narrative Theory***

Narrative Theory

1. Vladimir Propps 

Propps identified a theory based on the characters and actions featuring within films to act as narrative functions. Characters and actions, according to Propp, have a narrative function; they provide a structure for the text. These are the key characters in which he recognised to create a successful film:

The Hero – a character that seeks something
The Villain – who opposes or actively blocks the hero’s quest
The Donor – who provides an object with magical properties
The Dispatcher – who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message
The False Hero – who disrupts the hero’s success by making false claims
The Helper – who aids the hero
The Princess – acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villain’s plot
Her Father – who acts to reward the hero for his effort

As stated before, Propps also identified actions as functions of narrative preparation including:

A community/kingdom/family is in an ordered state of being
A member of the community/kingdom/family leaves of home
A warning is given to the leaders of the community or a rule is imposed on the hero
The warning is discounted/the rule is broken
The villain attempts to discover something about the victim of the broken rule
The villain tries to deceive the victim to gain advantage
The victim unwittingly helps the villain

Complications

A state of disorder
The villain harms a member of the community/kingdom/family
One of the members of the community/kingdom/family desires something
The hero is sent to get what is desired
The hero plans against against the villain

Transference

The hero leaves home
The hero is tested or attacked/ he meets the test and is given a magical gift or helper
The hero reacts to the donor
The hero arrives at the place he can fulfil his quest

Struggle

There is a struggle between the hero and villain
The hero is branded
The villain is overcome
The state of disorder is settled

Return

The hero returns
The hero is pursued
The hero escapes or is rescued
The hero arrives home and is not recognised
A false hero claims rewards
A task is set for the hero
The task is accomplished

Recognition

The hero is recognised
The false hero or villain is unmasked
The false hero is punished
The hero attains the reward (princess/kingdom)

CRITICISMS 

Propp's theory of narrative seems to be based in a male orientated environment (due to his theory actually reflecting early folk tales) and as such critics often dismiss the theory with regard to film. However, it may still be applied because the function (rather than gender) of characters is the basis of the theory. E.g. the hero could be a woman; the reward could be a man. Critics argue that Propp's strict order of characters and events is restrictive. We should rather apply the functions an d events randomly as we meet new narratives. E.g. the hero may kill the villain earlier than Propp expects. Changing the traditional format will change the whole way that text is received. Some critics claim there are many more character types than Propp suggests and we should feel free to identify them. E.g. the stooge in a sci-fi film, who is usually nameless and usually killed early on to suggest the power of the alien force, is a typical modern character type.


2. Tzvetan Todorov
 Todorov's proposed that all narratives contain 5 fundamental stages in this order based on equilibrium and disequilibrium:

A state of equilibrium
A disruption of that order by an event
A recognition that the disorder has occurred
An attempt to repair the damage that has been caused by the disruption
A return or restoration of a new equilibrium 

Here the narrative is not seen as a linear structure but a circular one. The narrative is drive by attempts to restore the equilibrium. However, the equilibrium attained at the end of the story is not identical to the initial equilibrium. Todorov argues that narrative involves a transformation. The characters or the situations are transformed through the progress of the disruption. The disruption itself usually takes place outside the normal social framework, outside the normal social events.


CRITICISMS:

By following Todorov's theory and creating the 5 fundamental stages based on equilibrium and disequilibrium, the narrative may become predictable for the audience, as they may be aware of this common structure. Suspense is often created in thrillers by prolonging or revealing the unknown i.e. the antagonists identity, and therefore by adopting this structure it could be argues that the thriller would lack suspense as it would fail to include that 'unknown' factor due it's predictability. Overall it is not the theory being critiqued, but it's suitability to the thriller genre. 


3. Aristole

Headings that are used by some producers and screenwriters include:

Inciting incident
Dramatic Question
Character goal
Antagonist/Protagonist
Stakes
Resolution
Sympathy and empathy

These headings are very close to those suggested by Aristotle. Aristotle's literary criticism is probably most famous for the 'unities': time, place, and action. Aristotle's most complete analysis is of the 'tragedy', which is arguably the basis of the most 'serious drama'.


Our Narrative Theory

Our thriller opening can be most applied to Aristole's theory due to the similar themes that arise in his proposal as well as our thriller opening. Also his theory is based on the more serious genres such as tragedy and serious drama and therefore would make logical sense to be applicable to a thriller. There are many examples from our narrative that can be directly related to Aristole's theory. For example, from the beginning of our opening, the audience are able to identify who the protagonist is as we have conformed to the methodology in which the victim is represented i.e. white clothing to connote innocence. An implication of the antagonist's presence is also created through the low key lighting and point of view shots, and therefore the audience are aware that there is a clear protagonist and antagonist, proposed by Aristole.

The opening sequence to our thriller can also be applied to further proposals made by Aristole. At the end of the sequence, through the use of low key lighting and shadows, the audience can see that there is a 'mystery' person in the house that is threat to the victim, as they put their hand on her shoulder. When turning around to see who it was, the victim screams which creates a dramatic question - who was it? A dramatic question as proposed by Aristole can be closely linked with an enigma, a convention of the thriller genre as it builds suspense for the audience as they do not have all the information, leaving them on edge.

Lastly, the opening sequence can be applied to one more of Aristole's proposals; sympathy and empathy. We have planned our protagonist's representation so she has qualities that the audience can clearly connect with. For example, her age will be of a similar age to our target audience and therefore they are able to relate to her. Another example which makes our narrative easier to relate to is the location. All of the target audience will be able to relate to a house and therefore it is easy to imagine themselves in the position of the protagonist, making them on edge. In the primary research I have conducted, Millie Cooper claimed that a house location made her feel on edge because this feeling can be taken back to when she gets home herself, highlighting the effect the thriller has had on her. Therefore we have planned certain aspects of the film so that the audience can relate to it easily and therefore stimulates both sympathy and empathy for the protagonist in her situation.

The themes discussed are the main proposed by Aristole that appear in the opening in the thriller. However, it is also possible that the other themes may arise in the rest of the film. For example, an inciting incident may occur when the antagonist captures the protagonist, which therefore creates a character goal, in that the protagonist will  attempt to escape. Overall, Aristole's narrative theory is more applicable to our thriller than the other narrative theories as the two are most similar.