Research: Narrative Theory

Todorov's Theory of narrative structure

Tzvetan Todorov's (1960) theory of narrative structure. According to this theory, a character will go through five stages: equilibrium, disruption, recognition of the damage, and equilibrium once more. Equilibrium can be defined as a normal everyday routine for the character, this is followed by a disruption which is the drive of the narrative, recognition then takes place which is when the character understands what has just taken place. This is followed by the repair of the damage which leads back to equilibrium. This can occur up to several times throughout the movie. This theory has been applied in the movie James Bond Spectre. This scene opens with James dressed as a skeleton blending in with the crowd, which is then followed by a gunfight and explosion thus being the disruption. Furthermore, a close combat fight is carried out in a helicopter which ends with James flying away thus returning to equilibrium.  

Propps Character Types

Propps's character theory suggests that a character makes a story or a story revolves around a character from which the plot develops based on the actions of the character. There are many different Propps character types such as the protagonist, antagonist, confidant, love interest, deuteragonist, tertiary, and foil character. An example of this theory that has been applied is in the Batman movie which revolves around the protagonist who is Batman himself. The antagonist can be seen as the Riddler while the love interest is the Cat woman. The deuteragonist can be seen as James Gordon, chief of police. The tertiary can be seen as Officer Stanely. Additionally, the foil character can be seen as playing the role of the Penguin. Finally, the confidant character can be seen as the Butler Albert. 

Barthes Narrative Codes.

Barthes's Narrative code theory has five different kinds of codes that add up together to make a common text. These codes include Hermeneutic, Proairetic, Semantic, Symbolic, and Cultural. Hermeneutic code can be defined as when the writer purposely does not reveal information about the plot to let the audience figure it out on their own, creating an enigma. Proairetic code can be defined as a sequence of events where one leads to the other leaving the audience to wonder what the final outcome will be, for example, this can be seen in the Captain America movie. Semantic code can be defined as codes that are used to give the audience some sort of hint as to what the character or plot will unfold into. Symbolic codes can be defined as codes that use symbols to represent the character or plot. For example, a good guy would be seen wearing a lighter color whereas the enemy would be highlighted in a darker color to emphasize the evil. Cultural codes can be defined as, codes that refer to the culture that can be historic, societal, or psychological. 

Levi Strauss- Binary Opposition 
Levi Strauss's Binary Opposition theory suggests that the majority of the characters in narratives and media are opposing each other such as a hero and a villain or the good and the evil, this is because it works to help resolve a conflict. An example of this can be seen in the movie Man Of Steel when the protagonist Superman has a conflict with the Antagonist General Zod. This conflict is resolved by the death of General Zod which helped to highlight the characteristics of Superman. In conclusion, this can be seen as an example of Binary Opposition as it is a victory of good over evil. 

Bibliography

https://jurnal.unimus.ac.id/index.php/ELLIC/article/viewFile/3569/3395#:~:text=Narrative%20Structure%20Theory%20Narrative%20structure,the%20Damage%20and%20Equilibrium%20Again.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zgydhv4/revision/1#:~:text=Propp%20argued%20that%20stories%20are,roles%20that%20progress%20a%20story.

http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/~raha/700_701_web/BarthesLO/codes.html#:~:text=Barthes%20identifies%20five%20different%20kinds,term%20codes%20can%20be%20misleading.