Narrative Theories

What is a narrative theory?

Many people came up with a narrative theory. This was about the things that
happen in a film and the usual structure of most films.
Polysemic text with more than one interpretation
Todorovs narrative theory

Bulgarian literary theorist

Suggests that most narratives start with a state of equilibrium where life is normal,
there is peace and everyone is happy. This state of normality is then disrupted by an
outside force which has to be fought against in order to return to this state of
equilibrium. Todorov said that this theory can be applied to a wide range of film
genres.
Roland Barthes narrative theory

French semiologist.

He suggested that a narrative works with five different codes which activate the
audience to make sense of it. He said that a text can have many meanings and be
interpreted in many different ways.
Cultural A narrative device which the audience can recognise as being part of a
culture.
In our horror film opening, a denotation we will use is a scythe which is a piece of
outdated farm equipment. The connotation of this would be death, danger or
violence.
Another denotation is the dog that will be with the girl in the woods. The connotations
of this are companionship and protection. When the dog runs away and leaves the
girl on her own, the girl has lost her companion and is open to any threats.
The Action Code
Action a narrative device by which a resolution is produced through action, e.g. a
shoot-out.
The action code tells us what is going to come, for example if someone is holding a
gun and a shot shows the trigger being pulled, we know that someone or something
is going to get shot.
In our opening, we will cut to a shot of the barbed wire on the floor as the girl is
running up to it. This suggests that there is going to be an accident involving the
barbed wire and the girl could get injured.

Narrative Theories

Enigma Code
Enigma A narrative device that teases the audience by presenting a puzzle or
riddle to be solved. This works to delay the storys ending pleasurably. The enigma
code helps to create mystery.
For example, a man is walking down the street with a briefcase and then there is a
close up shot of the briefcase. This suggests that he has something in the briefcase
that he shouldnt have.
Vladimir Propps narrative theory

Russian critic and literary theorist

He analysed over 100 Russian fairy tales in the 1920s. He proposed that it was
possible to classify the characters and their actions into clearly defined roles and
functions. Films such as Star Wars fit Propps model but others dont.
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Villain
Hero
Donor
Helper
Princess
Father
Dispatcher
False Hero

Claude Levi Strauss Binary Opposition

Strauss came up with the idea of having opposites against each other. For example
man Vs. Machine or Good Vs. Evil.
In our film opening, we will include good against evil (girl against killer), light against
dark and old against new.