Alex Walker

Narrative Theories
Vladimir Propp:
Vladimir was a Russian soviet scholar. He analyzed the plot of hundreds of
Russian folk tales. He summarised that there were eight possible categories that
made up these stories; these categories are still the bases for many stories and films
today.
1. The first category is the Hero; this character is usually looking for something
either on a quest or solving a mystery. In my book the hero is Bernard, although
Simon Cowell could also be the hero as he was looking for a way to gain his talent
spotting abilities back and found that in Bernard.
2. The second category is the Villain; they usually go against the hero either to gain
the same thing they are going for or to stop them from succeeding. They usually
have a lack of morals and contras the hero; this is so the heros good qualities stand
out against the bad qualities of the villain. In my story I dont really have a villain,
although you could argue that the other unicorns that bully Bernard are kind of a
villain to him but they are not part of the main story line. An example of a villain
would be Randal from Monsters Inc. he did everything possible to stop Mike and
Sully because he was jealous of them and was completely different to them and you
could see this right from the start when Randal was introduced.
3. The third category is the Princess/Prize; this character or object is the thing that the
hero either sets out to get or get something for or gains at the end of the story for
their hard work. For example, in my book, Bernard gains his horn from granting
Simons wish. However, in a classic fairytale, it is usually a princess or a sword or
something along those lines as thats what most old fairytales are about.
4. The fourth category is the Donor; this character gives the hero something special to
help them on their task. If Simon were the main character in this situation, then
Bernard would become the donor as he give him his abilities back. In Monsters Inc. it
would be Boo giving them her laughter, she did this indirectly however it still helped
them with their choices throughout the rest of the story.
5. The fifth category is the helper; this character provides help and support either
throughout the story or at critical moments. My story doesnt have a helper really. In
Monsters Inc. the helper and the hero are the same two characters as Mike and Sully
are the heros but they also help each other throughout the story.
6. The sixth category is the Princess Father; this character is definitely more for the
older fairytales as nowadays; fathers dont own their daughters. This character gives
the hero a task and the reward is usually the Princess hand even if the Princess
didnt agree. There isnt an example of this happening in my story so an example of
this happening is in the film Shrek, the King sends Shrek on a mission to prove that he
was capable of having Fiona as his wife.

Alex Walker

7. The seventh category of the False Hero; this character makes everyone think that
they are good and want to help but are actually faking being nice for their own
personal gain. There are so many examples of this happening in Disney films, for
example; Frozen The prince pretends to love Anna but actually wants the kingdom,
The Lion King Scar pretends to care for Simba but actually wants the kingdom and in
Monsters Inc. Mr Waternoose pretends not to know that children arent bad but is
actually the one behind it all.
8. The final category is the Dispatcher; this character is essentially the same as the
princess father because they send the hero on their mission. An example of this
would be Lord Farquaad from Shrek as he set Shrek to retrieve Fiona from the tower
so that he could marry her.

Todorov:
Todorov came up with the equilibrium; this is where there are five stages to a story.
This is a very basic way of describing the plots of most stories.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Everythings fine.
Theres a disruption to everyday life.
There is recognition of the disruption.
There is an attempt to repair the disruption.
Now return to the new everyday life.

A more complicated way of describing the plots is by using the equilibrium etc.
1. Equilibrium this is basically the beginning of the story where everything is
fine, and there is a balance of normal life. An example of this from my story is
the first page.

2. Disequilibrium this is where the story properly starts. There is usually a

disruption of a characters life or a long-term problem that causes their
normal life to change. The rest of the story revolves around the character
trying to return to the equilibrium or trying to solve the problem.

Alex Walker
3. New Equilibrium this is the end of the story, when things turn into the new
normal and it gives you an idea of how their lives will be from no on.

Strauss:
Claude Levi Strauss was a French theorist. He said that there was only a story when
two opposing sides come together. This is called binary oppositions. My story
doesnt really have any binary opposition because everyone wants to help each
other so there arent any opposites.
Good vs Evil- Bernard and the other unicorns. The other unicorns try to bring
Bernard down and make him feel bad.
Men vs Women- An example of this is in the film Made in Dagenham
Humans vs Nature- Avatar is an example of this due to the humans trying to
destroy the forest and other parts of nature that the Aliens need to survive.
Humans vs Aliens- Cowboys vs Aliens the film, this is humans against aliens.
He also said that there were different types of structure, which made up these
stories.
Open There is no conclusion to the story, it is continuous. Most soap operas
have this.
Closed This is where the story reaches an end, most films have this.

Single Strand There is only on storyline. This is usually used in childrens

books as it is simple and easy to understand.
Multi-strand There are many different storylines. This is generally used in
soap operas but can be used in some films.

Liner This is when everything in the story goes in chronological order.

Generally used in childrens books as its easier to understand.
Non Linear This is where the story isnt chronological, usually shown in
flash backs or flash forwards, Pulp Fiction or Inception are good examples of
this.

Realist This is when the story is based on real life and is believable.
Anti-Realist This is the complete opposite, usually sifi stories, like the
Matrix.

Alex Walker