Narrative Theories

Vladimir Propp- 7 Character Roles
In 1969 Vladimir developed a character role theory. In the 100 stories he analysed, he saw that there were 7 broad character roles. These could be applied to other media too. The character roles are;

• The villian- This person is the bad person and battles the hero.
• The donor- This person prepares the hero for battle or gives them a magical/helpful object.
• The (Magical) helper- This person is like a sidekick and helps the hero in the quest.
• The princess- This is the person the hero marries, they sometimes need help and could be the quest itself.
• The princess' father- This person sometimes requests help from the hero.
• The dispatcher-
• The hero- This person reacts to the donor and marries the princess.

For example, in Mario we have;
The hero (being Mario)
The helper (being Luigi)
The princess (being Princess Peach)
The Princess' father (In this case the Toad)
The Dispatcher (being Toad)
The Donor (being Toad)
The Villain (being Bowser)


Tzvetan Todorov- Equilibrium Theory
The environment within the film is a state of equilibrium. In the case of Charmed the equilibrium would be the present day they're living at. After this something called Disequilibrium occurs where a disruption happens which could be a spell gone wrong in the show which causes the characters to go back in time and their existence could be affected. The characters then recognise the disorder by dialogue. After this they will attempt to fix the problem, for example in Charmed they could try a spell to return back to their normal time. Finally the equilibrium is restored and they would be back to the present day.

Claude Levi-Strauss- Binary Opposition
This is a pair of related terms or concepts but these are opposites. For example on or off or left or right. Its like there being 2 answers for one question. For example 'Are you left handed or right handed?' You can only answer with Left or Right.


Roland Barthes- Enigma Code
The Enigma code is a theory in which posters, films, and television programs etc. Have a mystery used to draw the audience into it and ask questions and wonder what's going to happen. For example if there is a question that intrigues the audience this'll make the audience want to watch or see more.
For example in a trailer or poster if someone in a dark cloak is committing a murder we'd wonder who the murderer is and if we'd find out who it is and whether they actually killed the person.