Narrative

Tvetzan Todorov - Bulgarian structuralist linguist.

Todorov's theorized that stories begin with an equilibrium or status quo, where any potentially opposing forces are at balance. This is disrupted by some event, setting in motion a chain of sub-events, causing a disequilibrium. Problems are solved so that order can be restored, and a new equilibrium takes place.


Vladimir Propp - Russian critic who examined hundreds of folk tales in search of a recurring pattern.

Propp identified eight characters and a plethora of narrative functions. The eight character roles are...

- The villain(s)
- The hero
- The doner (who provides an object with some power or influence)
- The helper (who aids the hero)
- The 'princess' or sought after person (reward of the hero and object of the villian's schemes)
- The princess' father (who rewards the hero)
- The dispatcher (who sends the hero on his quest)
- The false hero

The character roles and functions identified by Propp can be applied to all kinds of narrative, for example, TV news programmes


Using narrative to build suspense...

Restricted narrative can be used to surprise an audience, for example, when neither the audience or characters know what is round the corner or what is about to happen. Then again, a degree of unrestricted narrative can be used to build suspense when the audience knows exactly what’s happening and the characters do not.

For example, suppose there are two characters sitting at a table, having a perfectly ordinary conversation. Nothing happens, and then out of the blue, a bomb planted underneath the table explodes, the audience is surprised but prior to this surprise, it had been a completely ordinary scene of no special consequence.

If we turn this scene on its head and tell the audience the bomb is under the table, maybe even show the anarchist place it there. In these conditions this innocuous situation becomes a lot more interesting and fascinating because the audience participates with the scene. The audience is longing to warn the characters on the screen.

In the first situation we give the audience fifteen seconds of surprise, but with the second, we give them fifteen minutes of suspense. In conclusion of this, it appears to be alot more affective to let the audience in on the gag.
- adapted from Francois Tuffaut's theory.


As a viewer watches a film they generally participate in the movie; they pick up cues, anticipate what will follow and recall information, and the film, in turn, shapes particular expectations by summoning suspense, curiosity and surprise. The viewer also develops specific ideas about the outcome of plots and sub-plots, and these developments may control our expectations right up to the end.