Narrative theory: Field, Propp and Todorov

The following post is a reminder of the main narrative theories we have explored.  Use the theories and apply them to the Working Title films that we have studied.

Syd Field

Field is an author who advises on screenwriting. He has observed that good scripts comprise of three clear acts.

Act 1 – presents the set up showing where the action was taking place, introducing who was involved and suggesting in broad terms what was going to happen. At the end of the first act there was a crucial point at which the direction of the whole of the rest of the film was set up.

Act 2 – a sense of confrontation as the main character faced a series of obstacles to completing the central dramatic need of the film.

 

Act 3 – another crucial point, at which the central character would seem to have their goal in sight but would be faced with one final problem and in this act all of the plots and sub-plots would be resolved.

Use your Working Title Case Studies and apply Field three act structure.  Is it a helpful model?

Are there any ways in which the films do not conform to Field’s suggested pattern? If so explain the difference.

Propp

• Vladimir Propp studied hundreds and hundreds of Russian folk and fairy tales before deciding that all narratives have a common structure.


• He observed that narratives are shaped and directed by certain types of characters and specific kinds of actions.

• He believed that there are 31 possible stages or FUNCTIONS in any given narrative (see separate handout). These may not all appear in a single story, but nevertheless always appear in the same sequence.

• A function is a plot motif or event in the story.

• A tale, Propp suggest, may skip functions but it cannot shuffle their unvarying order.

Propp believed that there are 7 roles which any character may assume in the story

• the Villain, who struggles with the hero;

• the Donor, who prepares and/or provides hero with magical agent;

• the Helper, who assists, rescues, solves and/or transfigures the hero;

• the Princess, a sought-for person (and/or her father) who exists as goal and often recognises and marries hero and/or punishes villain;

• the Dispatcher, who sends the hero off;

• the Hero, who departs on a search (seeker-hero), reacts to the donor and weds at end;

• the False Hero, who claims to be the hero, often seeking and reacting like a real hero.


Todorov’s Approach to Narrative

Todorov suggests that all narratives begin with equilibrium or an initial situation (where everything is balanced). This is followed by some form of disruption, which is later resolved. With the resolution at the end of the narrative a new equilibrium is usually established.

There are 5 stages a narrative has to pass through:

1. The state of equilibrium (state of normality – good, bad or neutral)

2. An event disrupts the equilıbrium (a character or an action)

3. The main protagonist recognises that the equilibrium has been disrupted, and

4. attempts to rectify this in order to restore equilibrium.

5. Equilibrium is restored but, because of the causal transformations have occurred, there are differences (good, bad, or neutral) from the original equilibrium, which establish it as a New Equilibrium

Take time to learn these.  The key is in the exam is an ability to apply them and use the theories to develop your analysis.