Assignment 8: Narrative theory

By Monae Minors-Gibbs

Target: Yellow level

Part A: Todorov

Suggested there was 5 stages of narrative

1. Equilibrium

2. Disequilibrium

3. Recognition of disequilibrium

4. Attempt to repair damage

5. New equilibrium

• The classic structure of beginning, middle and end

Equilibrium (Cat in the hat)

Normality Pictures

Normal family

Spotless house

Baby sitter comes around

to look after the children

Weather is bad

Children are bored

There is nothing to do

inside

Disequilibrium(conflict/disruption)

Disequilibrium Screen grabs

Unexpected character comes

Lets then jump on the sofa

Starting to break some rules

Unknown huge box

The mystery is inside the box

The box is the start of the

disruption

Recognition of disequilibrium

Recognition of disequilibrium Screen grabs

Mess in the house is made

Plates are smashed

The front room was clean, now

destroyed

Total destruction of the house

The house is collapsing

Try to clean the walls and ruins

the mums favourite dress

Attempt to repair the damage

Attempt to repair the

damage

Screen grabs

The cat finds his cleaning

machines

Attempts to clean up

„Thing 1 & Thing 2‟ help to

clean up too

They clean the mums dress

spotless

Neatly put the dress away

Looks untouched

New equilibrium

New equilibrium Screen grabs

The mum dumps the

horrible boyfriend

The children are happy he's

gone

The mum gains her kids

trust

They end up having fun

Jump on the sofa together

Part B: Levi-Strauss

Believed that our world is described in binary opposites,

realising the differences, contradictions and conflict or

opposites.

Day/night

Good/bad

Male/female

Film Opposite 1 Opposite 2 Explanation

Pursuit of

Happiness

One character is

male, the other is

female

The male is more

caring/more forceful

Superman hero is saves the

girl and city

Villain is trying to

destroy everything

Villain tries to

capture the hero

The mother/girlfriend

character The dad/breadwinner

This character plays

the hero

This character

play the villain

Scream 4 Hero is good

Villain is evil

Hero normal

costume

Villain dark

costume and mask

I Robot Hero is human

Villain is a robot

Hero helps

Villains make things

worst

This character is

hero The villain

A picture of the

hero This is the villain

Part C: Barthe

All about anticipations and clues identified by codes

- Enigma codes

- Action codes

- Semantic codes

- Symbolic codes

- Cultural codes

Enigma codes

Enigma- narratives set up as puzzling to be solved, and

drawing the audience in

Delays the ending/resolution

Sometimes left unsolved

Answer to enigmas contribute to our enjoyment of

resolutions (new equilibrium)

Examples are „Memento‟ and „The Separation‟

Who are

they?

Why are they

arguing?

Why are they?

Who is he?

Why did he kill

him?

Why is he wearing

the mans clothes?

Action codes

Codes of actions that lead audience to expect contains consequences

E.g. Psycho which is a horror film

Horror- ‘Psycho’

•Woman alone in the

shower

•Not very aware someone

is watching her

•Audience expect

something bad to happen

Romance- „Prince and Me‟

•Finds out he's a prince

•Never wants to talk to

him

•Audience know she will

go after him

Semantic codes

Meanings of characters, objects and

locations

Learn from experience about the

denotations and connotations

Iconographic features work in same

way

Examples of semantic codes

Iconography Screen grabs

Spaceships & aliens = Sci-fi

Drama/Romance- Moulin

Rouge

Horror- Red Riding Hood

• Seen as promiscuous

• Love

• Passion

• Red suggesting being a target

• Red connotes that she is

danger

Symbolic codes

Oppositions and antitheses (light/dark)

Male=dark, abusive, trapped

Females= light, free, justice

Opposites Screen grabs

Male= abusive, troubled,

criminal(rape), strong, evil

Female=innocent, disturbed

by rape

Precious getting

raped

biological

father

Opposites Screen grabs

Representation of the villain

Dark costume connotes evil

The prop of the odd mask also adds to

the villain representation

The assumptions of bald men are the

villains

Hero is usually in a matched costume

and mask

Handsome

Manly

Dark costume but could connote

professional at being the hero

Cultural codes

Bring understanding and meaning to the text

References to things in popular cultures and historical

events

E.g. World Trade Centre

Set around the

9/11

Dealing with a

big serious

crisis

Part D: Propp

Studied fairy tales and legends and noticed the similarities: similar character type and same problems

His thesis was about 7 distinctive character types called „spheres of action‟

• Hero

• Dispatcher

• Villain

• Donor

• Helper

• False hero

• heroine

1st spheres - Hero

On a quest

It is usually a male

Conflict appears

Ends up getting the girl

Falls in love

with female

Na'vi

Taking orders

leaves him in

conflict with the

world he feels is

home (Pandora)

Goes on a mission in

exchange for a spinal

surgery for his legs

2nd spheres – dispatcher

Starts hero on its way

Usually to restore disequilibrium

Gives the information

the hero and the

others need This character helps

to start off the

journey

3rd spheres – villain

Opposes the hero

Cause of disruption

This character destroys the home land of the natives

Colonel moves forward

with his ruthless

extermination tactics

Forces the

soldier to

take a stand

Instructs the

soldiers to fight

back in an epic

battle for the fate

of Pandora.

4th spheres – donor (another film)

Helps hero by giving him/her magic tool/gift to help them on the journey

For example Cinderella film

The fairy god

mother gives

Cinderella advice

Uses her magic

to dress and get

Cinderella to

the ballShe makes sure

Cinderella is

equipped for

her journey

5th spheres – helper (example of other film)

Assists/helps hero in restoring normality/equilibrium

She tires to help by

arguing

•destroying

Hometree could

damage

the biological neural

network native to

Pandora

She risks

her own life

for the Na'vi

This character is named

Grace

6th spheres – false hero (example from

Cinderella)

On side of a hero but turns against him/her

Attempts hero away from quest

The two

evil sisters

The sisters lie

and say its their

shoe They do not call

Cinderella to

try on the shoe

hoping it would

fit them

7th spheres – heroine

Usually females but not always

Usually threatened by villain and needs the help of a hero

Often in/ends up in love

She is

threatened

by the

villain

Colonel

Quaritch

She's is getting

help from her

hero

She falls

in love

Part E- other terms

Diegesis

Narrative range

• Unrestrictive narrative

• Restrictive narrative

Narrative depth

• Objective character identification

• Subjective character identification

Diegesis

Internal world created by the story that the characters

themselves experience and encounter

(The world the characters live in (in TV/FILM)

Fish Tank shows diegesis

because the main

character goes through

everyday problems in

her life.

Narrative range

Unrestrictive narrative A narrative which has no limits to the information that is presented (not hiding any

piece of information to the audience) i.e. news

Restrictive narrative Offers minimal information of the narrative (hides some information from the

audience)Momento gives little

information to the

audience The actual

story of his wife dying

etc.)

Pretty Woman is

unrestricted narrative as

you see her steps to

change from a striper.

More screen grabs

Near to the beginning

he gets a call, the

audience does not know

who calls him

Narrative depth (green)

Objective character identification

The viewer is given unique access to a characters point of

view such as seeing things from the characters mind,

dreams or memories.

Subjective character identification

Unique access to what a range of characters can see and

do (can see multiple)

Part F: Modular narratives

“Express a sense of time which can be detachable and

may have manipulation”

(Where time is not linear)

Forking path – introduces a number of plotlines that

usually contradict one another

Episodic – collection of multiple stories

• Abstract- non narrative formal system

• Anthology- shorter tales which are apparently

disconnected but share a random similarity

Anachronic- uses of flashbacks and flash-forwards (4321)

Split screen- divides screens into two or more frames

Anachronic – ‘4,3,2,1’

The girl slipped and the friends

are helping her up

Slip screen

Here is a example of split screen in a scene of Snake Eye:

http://youtu.be/OzaBztLaGD4

Here is a screen grab of a split screen scene from the film

Mean Girls

Visually see

who the

conversation

is with

The

conversation

is in time