Narrative Theory
Structuralism has been very powerful in its influence on narrative theory. Its main virtue is that it is most interested in those things that narratives have in common, rather than in the distinctive characteristics of specific narratives.
STORY is often associated with themes and meaning and can be decoded from all of the different elements that are used, for example, the characters, setting, props and themes etc. Whereas the PLOT is the way in which the story (elements/themes/ideas/meaning) is organised and sequenced.
A really good way to think about NARRATIVE STRUCTURE is to recognise that most stories can be easily broken down into a BEGINNING / MIDDLE / END. The Bulgarian structuralist theorist Tztevan Todorov presents this idea as:
- Equilibrium
- Disruption
- New equilibrium
Vladimir Propp
CHARACTERS FUNCTION TO PROVIDE NARRATIVE STRUCTURE:
- Hero
- Helper
- Princess
- Villain
- Victim
- Dispatcher
- Father
- False Hero
Claude Levi-Strauss (Binary Oppositions)
This theory suggests that NARRATIVES (=myths) are STRUCTURED around BINARY OPPOSITIONS eg: good v evil; human v alien; young v old etc etc. As such, it encourages students to understand narrative as a structure of key (oppositional) themes that underpin action and dialogue to develop a set of messages that the audience are able to decode and understand.
Seymour Chatman: Satellites & Kernels
- Kernels: key moments in the plot / narrative structure
- Satellites: embellishments, developments, aesthetics
memento
Plot
- the story is told in reverse, the film shows you the ending before it tells you how he came to the conlusion or the actions he took to get there
So far the film has used a small amount of characters which are involved in the story
- Proairetic code: action, movement, causation.
- Hermenuetic code: reflection, dialogue, character or thematic development.
- Enigma code: the way in which intrigue and ideas are raised – which encourage an audience to want more information.
As such, they employ elision or ellipsis in that some elements are missing. Similarly, time often moves backwards (flashbacks) or forwards (flash forwards) at moments which break the linear sequence.
Time can also run simultaneously, in that it is possible to play-out different narratives at the same time: simultaneous or parallel narratives.
This raises the concept that the audience are then given some information, feelings, ideas or logic that the on-screen actors do not have access to, which is called dramatic irony.
non-sequitur – they are really useful creative elements but not essential to the story.