Narrative theory's

Recently in Media Studies we have been looking at some forms of narrative, and the different types of narrative and the arcs involved in them, as formed by their theorists. These theories are particularly significant when it comes to producing a piece of media, as you can either abide by these theories and conventions or you can subvert them and choose to take a different narrative approach. This will help us in our coursework as we then have a greater understanding of the type of text to produce; depending on what type of narrative code we want to employ. The narrative theories we looked at were Propp's character theory, Barthes 5 narrative codes, Todorov's theory of equilibrium, and Levi Strauss' theory of Binary Opposition.


Propp's character theory: 

This particular theory developed by Propp studies media texts and productions, which presents how there are 7 different character types, in 100 tales he studied. The results he found are as followed:

The villain (struggles against the hero)

The donor (prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object)

The (magical) helper (helps the hero in the quest)

The princess (person the hero marries, often sought for during the narrative)

The false hero (perceived as good character in beginning but emerges as evil)

The dispatcher (character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off)

The hero [AKA victim/seeker/paladin/winner, reacts to the donor, weds the princess

I think this theory is considerably relevant and revolutionary as these 7 character types he has identified in media texts are very familiar, we all know and understand these character types and have seen them large amounts of times whilst looking at media texts and productions. 

Barthes 5 narrative codes:  

Barthes narrative theory consists of 5 specific codes, at least one of these codes describes any given text or media product, as the theory goes. The 5 codes are:

• Hermeneutic/ Enigma code
• Proaeretic/ Action code
• Semantic code
• Symbolic code
• Referential code

The hermeneutic/ Enigma code refers to texts that contain mystery. Clues are hinted at, but no clear answers are given simultaneously. This code can be particularly seen with films of the Thriller genre; with twists that may not need to be fully answered but yet they're still very engaging. Hence the enigma part, this details the audiences wanting to know more. The Proaeretic/ Action code contains sequences of action in the text, where the Proaeretic aspects add suspense to the text. The Semantic code involves texts that suggest, or refer to additional or extra meanings displayed in the text or media product. This code can be seen with quite a lot of genres, any film that is trying to explore further meaning behind the main substance of the film. The Symbolic code is fairly obvious in the name, this code is all about any symbolism shown in the text. It could be a symbol for a large amount of themes or feelings as such. Lastly, the Referential code details anything in the text that refers to an external section of knowledge such as scientific, historical and cultural knowledge.

Todorov's theory of equilibrium: 

Todorov realised that texts can call somehow relate to a theory and set conventions, but specific to the film. The theory is done by using 5 conventions:

• The equilibrium: This is when the story in the text or media product is as it should be, everything is fine and normal. Hence it's called the equilibrium. 
• A disruption- Something comes along to ruin the equilibrium for the characters/area. This will then negatively affect the main characters. 
• The realisation- At this point the characters haven now realised something is wrong and their equilibrium has been ruined. The characters will then often experience chaos at this point. 
• Restore the order- The characters at this point will do everything in their power to restore order to the situation, overcome the disruption, and gain their equilibrium back. 
• Re-equilibrium- Finally the characters have overcome the disruption and have now got a new equilibrium, peace is restored to the story. 

Levi Strauss' theory of Binary Opposition: 

This theory developed by Levi Strauss is all about binary opposition, in other words 2 things that are directly opposite of each other.We studied this theory into some detail at AS level, when we watched a clip from Titanic with characters of Jack and Rose. Binary opposites, such as black and white, can be used in texts and media products to convey meaning. More specifically, binary opposition can be used to show direct differences and contrasts between characters, and how this affects the story and narrative of the text or media product.