~Narrative and its theories~

What does narrative mean?

Narrative is how a story is carried out; this is completely different to a storyline and isn't to be confused with. A good example of this is a book. The storyline you will find at the back of the book. We call this the blurb. This is because it sums up everything that happens in the book. The Narrative however, is what's written inside the actual book; it tells us how the story unfolds which is why its a narrative. There are some theories on how narrative is structured and these people go into detail about what it is they think about narratives.

Todorov

• Belgium male philosopher who proposed that all narratives fall under three parts. We know these sections as beginning middle and end but he says that It is broken up into 5 parts, however ultimately its only three parts since 2 parts of the theory link to another part.


Equilibrium is the "normal" for that film or novel. What we perceive as normal may be different to what is normal in that narrative. so "equal"  meaning the same as is saying that everything in that point tin the novel or film is the norm and nothing out of the ordinary is happening. A couple of examples of different equilibriums would be:


The Hunger Games: This is a 2012 film and is rated around about a 7/10 in terms of storyline. What i want to point out though is that what they consider normal is being held in terminals against their will by the more richer people "the higher ups".This of course differs greatly with our "normal". The trailer is proof that at the beginning of this film. Hunting for their own food and scavenging for food was their normal. It wasn't ideal however its what they were used to.
Disruption is the cause of what disrupts that equilibrium and changes that consistent flow. this could be an event that happens that changes someone's life or it could be an invasion. The main thing is, is that something different happens in the narrative. This carries on until a resolution occurs.
Resolution is when the problem has an answer but is not yet been resolved. This usually happens when the hero has a burst of courage or if they obtain an ability to deal with the situation.
I will use the hunger games again as an example. This resolution entailed the hero killing herself because she didn't want to kill her lover. Eventually the judges decided that it was such good entertainment that they could both live and that their lives would be spared. The resolution in this scenario is to kill themselves. They had not yet done it when they had discussed it which is why its a resolution and not the end result.
Restored order is when the resolution has been carried out successfully or the restored order is how things turn out, weather it be bad or good. The bad guy could win and this would be considered restored order because the superior resolution has taken over.
New equilibrium is when the new "normal" of this film is established at the end. It may be better than the original equilibrium or worst. The fact that the end result has happen is proof of the new resolution.

Note: In media, we only go by: Equilibrium, Disruption and New equilibrium. However i have gone that step further to find out everything on this theory.



Syd Field





• This man is known as "the guru" of screen writing. He is regarded by many Hollywood professionals.  He was the one who wrote and produced the television series Men in Crisis his take on Todorovs theory was modified and put into finer detail. He believes that all films follow III Acts.

1. Act I is when the point plot occurs
2. Act II is the midpoint, however it has two halves. The first half is dramatic content and the second half is concluding that dramatic content
3. Act III entails the outcome/resolution

The character will start off, in what todorovs would call, the equilibrium (this is ACT I), Act II (part1) the hero will experience something which will alter his normal experience and begins to loose hope around about the end of Act 2 part 1, Act 2 (part 2) the hero will get a burst of courage and will find something to resolve the issue. Act III the matter is dealt with and regardless of the outcome, we have the new Equilibrium (in Todorovs terms).



Vladimir Propp

• Russian male Formalist, analysed basic components of Russian folk tales to identify their simplest narrative elements. He believes their are 8 types of character in every narrative:

The hero: The person who tries to prevent evil doing or they try to prevent a bad cause from happening

The Villan: Has conflict with the hero to prevent the more positive outcome.

The doner: The person or object that provides the hero with something that will aid him in his quest

The helper/wingman: This person will help the hero in his quest til the very end

The princess: This is the prize at the end of the quest. Now this is metaphoric and not to offend females. The princess could be peace for a certain part of the world, the main thing is that this means the end result/ desired new equilibrium.

The princesses father: Rewards hero for his/hers efforts when the duty is for filled along with the new equilibrium (in some not all cases)

 False hero: Tries to steal hero's efforts or sabotage the hero.similar to a villain ,however, the difference is a false hero's morals could be right but actions are inappropriate.

The dispatcher: The person who sends the hero off on their quest.














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Claude levi-strauss

• Social Anthropology and he studied myths of the tribal cultures. He examined how stories unconsciously reflect the values, beliefs and myths of a culture. The fact that opposites attract each other in narratives in a negative manor really backs up Claude's theory.

Star wars: This film is well known throughout the world despite the nationality. I personally think that its known because of the concept of the film; light vs Dark. Its because of the plot and the opposites is why its so well known. We all know Darth Vader and he portrays the "dark" for the dark side. The jedi represent light as well as the iconic character Obi Wan Kenobi. Its our familiarity with the characters that make us remember what they represent.