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.
- elision – ellipsis = cutting things out to make it shorter
- flashback = ( idea for music video – flash back of characters death)
- flash forward =
- fore shadowing =
- dramatic irony = given some information, feelings, ideas or logic that the on-screen actors do not have access to
- memento – parallels between structure and memory
- light and shade = dark serious scenes to light comedy scenes
- non – sequitars = when theres no way out
- Narratives are organised around a particular theme and space and are based in an idea of time.
- many narratives (Film, TV, Radio) are usually LINEAR and SEQUENTIAL
- beginning, middle and end
- narrative =as a communication which ‘tells a story’
- Tztevan Todorov (Tripartite narrative structure):
- Equilibrium
- Disruption
- New equilibrium
( Freytag’s Pyramid exposition, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, and denouement)
Vladimir Propp (Character Types and Function)
- Hero
- Helper
- Princess
- Villain
- Victim
- Dispatcher
- Father
- False Hero
Spheres of Action:
- PREPARATION
- COMPLICATION
- TRANSFERENCE
- STRUGGLE
- RETURN
- RECOGNITION
Claude Levi-Strauss (Binary Oppositions)
(This theory suggests th at NARRATIVES (=myths) are STRUCTURED around BINARY OPPOSITIONS)
- to understand narrative as a structure of key (oppositional) themes
- creates a dominant message (ideology) of a film
Seymour Chatman: Satellites & Kernels
- Kernels: key moments in the plot / narrative structure
- Satellites: embellishments, developments, aesthetics
Roland Barthes: Proairetic and Hermenuetic Codes
- 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. – you give minimal information to let the audience figure out what its about. – rearranging things to make an enigma.