NARRATIVE
Narrative is the way that events are put together to be represented to an audience.
VLADIMIR PROPP NARRATIVE THEORY
Biography: Vladimir Propp is a structuralist analysis and fundamental work on the theory of narrative. Vladimir Propp came up with the theory that there are only a certain number of characters, who crop up in most narrative.
There are 8 stock characters which include hero, villain, father, dispatcher, helper, false hero, princess and donor. These roles could sometimes be distributed among various characters.
- Hero – Leads the narrative and is usually trying to solve something
- Villain – A character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot and often against the protagonist
- Dispatcher – Character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off
- Helper – Helps the hero in the quest fight against evil
- False hero – Perceived as good character in beginning but emerges as evil
- Princess – Person the hero marries, often sought for during the narrative, reward the hero
- Donor – Prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object
‘Wild Child’ (2008) adheres to Propp’s stock character theory:
- Hero – Poppy Moore (Poppy’s personality is transformed and she becomes a nicer person)
- Villain – Harriet (The head prefect, who has crush on Freddie, was determined to crush Poppy’s character because of jealousy)
- Princess – Freddie (even though he is a male character, Freddie is the reward for Poppy)
- Helper – Kate (becomes Poppy’s sidekick and helps her in any situation)
- Dispatcher – Poppy’s father (he sent Poppy to the English boarding school and all the action started from here)
- Father – Mrs. Kingsley (the English Principal, who helped Poppy to rediscover herself)
Other narrative theories: Tzvetan Todorov, Claude Levi-Strauss & Roland Barthes
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