Propps and Todorov's Narrative Theory

Todorov believed that all stories started with an equilibrium. Then a disruption to that equilibrium woud cause Disequilibrium. This would in turn cause a disruption and unsettlement. There is an attempt to repair the damage of the disruption

Vladimir Propp helped develop narrative by analysing the formula and attributes of characters to help develop a narrative story. By deconstructing Russian fairy tales he was able to identify a narrative structure in all stories. He also identified the following character types in most movies.



The villain who struggles against the hero.
The dispatcher who helps send the hero off on their quest.
The (magical) helper who helps the hero on their quest.
The princess or prize- Often the story end when the hero marrys the princess usually after defeating the villain. The hero would like to mrry her but because of an unfair evil, is prevented from doing so.
The father gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero and marries the hero. the father is often sought during the narrative.
The donor prepares the hero or gives them some magical object.
The hero reacts to the donor and weds the princess. The hero may be a victim/seeker hero.
The false hero may take credit for the hero's actions and may try to marry the princess.

Useful websites
http://www.slideshare.net/abairstow01/planning-and-research-todorov-and-props
http://www.slideshare.net/katiecharman/todorovs-narrative-theory-by-hannah-and-katie
http://www.mediaknowall.com/gcse/keyconceptsgcse/keycon.php?pageID=narrative

Narrative Structure Theories Assignment

Uploaded by ThirdPartyController on June 10, 2013