Assignment 8: Narrative theory

Russvictoria Monocillo

PART A: TODOROVNARRATIVE THEORY

Todorov’s narrative theory

5 stages of narrative

1. Equilibrium (normality) 2.Disequilibrium

(conflict/disruption of equilibrium by action or event.

3.Recognition of disequilibrium (disruption/conflict)

4.Attempt to repair disequilibrium.

5. New equilibrium (new normality)

Like the classic structure of:•Beginning•Middle•End

Film I chose for Todorov’s narrative theory

EQUILIBRIUMHanna hunts a deer/stag• to survive (food and cloth)•An everyday routine.

Hanna and her dad sit by the fire•Her dad reads her an encyclopaedia • family bonding (father and daughter)

DISEQULIBRIUMHanna presses the locator•She is ready to do her task•Revealing their hideout•She is separated with her dad•Her first task is complete

Marissa sent an imposter in her place:•She is one of the higher ranked people.•She is weary of Hanna

Hanna kills the imposter•Hanna knew it wasn't the real Marissa•She kills the guards to escape

Recognition of DISEQUILIBRIUM (disruption/conflict)

Marissa kills Hanna's mother:•Marissa was an agent.•She was sent off to assassinate Hanna's parents.

Marissa holds hostage the tourist family•Marissa questions the family but pretends to be the good guy•The boy doesn't want Hanna to be hurt so he tells her where Hanna is going.

Attempt to repair disequilibrium

Erik and Hanna finally reunites•Erik tells Hanna the truth•Hanna fights off Erik not wanting to hear more•She runs away from Erik

Hanna meets a retired clown•The clown knew both of Hanna's parents•Her mum worked in the amusement park•The clown gives Hanna a present which was a passport in case she is on the run again

NEW EQUILIBRIUM (new normality)Hanna is on the hunt•The deer takes us back to the beginning where Hanna hunts a deer.•Hanna hunts down Marissa

Hanna kills Marissa to put an end to everything that they have been through

PART B: LEVI-STRAUSS NARRATIVE THEORY

STRAUSS NARRATIVE THEORY

Binary Opposite:

Light/Dark Good/bad Male/female Night/ day

Opposites are fundamental to out ability to make meanings in our lives. Understand good if t is against evil.

Problem?•A side has to win•opposites lead to a status of whoever is ranked highest.•the audience simply agrees to the winning side•If this happens it can create a dangerous ‘norm’

Strauss

Film Opposite 1 Opposite 2 Explanation

The Blind Side

Better living condition

Ghetto environment

Michael Oher was evicted from his home, now he lives with Touhey family in a safe environment

Dead Silence

Dead ventriloquist. Mary Shaw

Mary Shaw’s victim

Mary Shaw kills her victims in their dreams if they shout in fear and the victims can’t run away or protect themselves

Wanted Catchy, Gibson's girlfriend

Fox, Gibson's mentor Cathy is a cheating girlfriend who is uneducated comparing to Fox who is smart and is independent on defending herself

PART C: BARTHES NARRATIVE THEORY

BARTHES

The audience experience of the narrative involves anticipation and expectations of the resolution to conflict.

Barthes theory of codes:• Enigma

code• Action code• Semantic

code• Symbolic

code• Cultural

code

Barthes- Enigma codeNarrative is set up as puzzles to be solvedDepicting a mystery and raising questions which draws in the audience.In the movie Taken, a retired CIA agents daughter has been kidnapped whilst on a trip to Paris, Now the father has to travel across Europe and use his skills in order to save his daughter.•Who exactly kidnapped his daughter?• Why did they kidnap her?•What will happen to her?•Will he be able to find her?

Barthes- Action codeAction or behaviour that will lead the audience to

expect certain consequences.

Semantic code: colourGreen

The Hulk (action)

Hulk= Growth from experiment, stability, endurance

Batman and Robin (1997)(action)

Poison Ivy’s green attire= danger/ poison

Semantics: Learn from Experience

The good guys are courageous, handsome and well mannered

The Village

The good guy gets injured or killed

Semantics: IconographyBattlefieldMen in armour wielding swordsTwo sides- the good and bad fighting against

each other.

Symbolic codeElizabeth: The Golden Age

The lead character

Cultural code

Schindler’s listBased on

the story of the holocaust, Oskar Schindler who saved over 1200 Jews during the WW11

In 1958, the Jews named Schindler a “righteous gentile” but he was not named till 1993 (19 yrs after his death) for his heroic act.

PART DPROPP7 distinctive character types

called ‘spheres of action’The theory might seem

recognizable and simplistic because they are based on historic fairytales and folklore

These are often simplistic stories for children.

Propp-Hero

The main charcter who tries to find and frtee hher ]resent

Villain- yubaba

A wicked old with who took away the main characters name

Dispatcher

Here the main characters went to explore the abandoned theme park

Donor

An old spiderlike man gave train tickets to the main character. for the

Helper

Here this is the main characters companion:• The rat (the bad witches baby)• Fly (crow)• No face

They travelled together to return a golden seal which belonged to

Heroine

The heroine, which is a boy, was attacked by enchanted paper dolls and left him looking vulnerable.

False hero

N/A

Diegeisis

Internal world created by the story that the characters themselves experience and encounter.

TASK FMODULAR NARRATIVES-ALLAN CAMERON

Modular NarrativesA sense of time which can be

detachable and may have manipulation.

Where time is not linear.

Modular narrative- Split screen.

The Bratz MovieIn this scene the characters

are on a webcam conversation so that the audience can see what the characters are doing at that particular time

Diegesis/ diegetic world

We can only see Katniss Everdeen, the host and the audience in this scene

Sound scape

The audience can hear the host introducing Katniss to the audience and the audience cheering (in the film).

Diegetic sound

The character can only hear the cheering of the audience, the host and the ripple of her dress as she turns

Volume control

Here its as if it is only the host and the main character talking because the pitch/volume of the host voice went low as he asked about the main characters sister

Mode of address

The host talks in a well mannered way and its as if he is friends with the audience because of the way he interacts with them which is in a very energetic and talkative way

Ambient sound

The cheering of the audience

Sound effects

Naturalistic sound effects:The swoosh of the characters

dressThe load cheering of the

audience