Narrative

The narrative is the way the story is being told. Todorov came up with the idea that all stories go through the same 5 stages.

Todorov's 5 Stages of Narrative are:
1) Equilibrium - all is in order, 'normal' and happy
2) Disruption - a disruption to the equilibrium by the means of an event/action
3) Recognition - there is recognition that a disruption has taken place
4) Repair - an attempt to repair the damage caused by the disruption
5) New equilibrium - the problem is solved and we return to a new type of equilibrium


Propp came up with the idea that characters have a narrative function

The Hero – a character that seeks something

The Villain – who opposes or actively blocks the hero’s quest

The Donor – who provides an object with magical properties

The Dispatcher – who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message

The False Hero – who disrupts the hero’s success by making false claims

The Helper – who aids the hero

The Princess – acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villain’s plots

Her Father – who acts to reward the hero for his effort

Example:

Back to the Future

1) Marty Mcfly is a 17 year old who lives with his parents and older siblings. His family are all underachieving and bleak.
2) His friend, Doc invents a time machine and shows Marty how it works.
3) Marty gets sent back in time to when his parents were his age and accidentally meets his parents which stops them from meeting and falling in love  which changes the course of history.
4) He has to make sure that his parents do meet, otherwise he will have never existed.
5) He manages to make them meet returns back home to find that his family are a lot happier than before.

Other Examples:
Little Red Riding Hood
1) Little Red Riding Hood is going to see her grandma
2) She meets a wolf along the way who finds out where she is going
3) When she gets to her grandma's house she finds the wolf has dressed as her grandma and is going to eat her
4) Her grandma pulls her under the bed before he can
5) A man kills the wolf; and Little Red Riding Hood and her grandma are saved

Arctic Monkeys - Leave Before The Lights Come On

1) The man is walking along
2) He tries to help the woman who appears to be about to jump off a building
3) She tries to kiss him and keeps harassing him
4) He tells her to leave him alone
5) She goes back to the top of the building and you see another man walking along