Notes 01.11.17- Barthes, Todorov, Strauss, Propp

NOTES 

01.11.17




Hegemony: The dominant set of ideologies/ A set of ideas that are presumed to be the 'norm'
Power structures (government, media) feed us these ideologies

All dominant narratives become normative in our lives and society ostracises those who don't conform to these narratives 

Todorov's theory of narrative structure: 
1) Equilibrium
2) Disruption of equilibrium 
3) recognition of equilibrium - enigmas (enigma code- Barthes)
4) repair of the disequilibrium 
5) new equilibrium
Audience response? 

Linear: Events occurring in chronological order 

Non- Linear: Events that don't occur in chronological order 


Modular narratives:

Anachronic: Flash-backs/ flash-forwards or the repetition of specific scenes 

Forking- paths: Showing events that may occur as a result of specific actions 

Split screen: Splitting screens into multiple frames and juxtapose events.

Episodic: collection of stories joined by a common theme 


Barthes' Codes 

Action code: Any narrative that moves the action forward  

Enigma code: Things that make the audience ask questions  

Both create suspense and therefore an interest for the audience. 


Vladimir Propp - Spheres of action

- Analysed Russian fairytales 
- Suggested that characters have special roles to fulfil. 
- These characters make up the narrative 

These are:

The hero - weds the princess 
The villain 
The false hero - initially a good character but has an ulterior motive 
The helper- supports the hero 
The princess - often the reward 
Her father - Most likely an old, powerful figure OR a wise older man who helps the hero 
The dispatcher- The character who sets the hero on his mission
The donor: A character who gives the hero a magic object or a piece of information
- These characters are STOCK CHARACTERS or ARCHETYPES
- Some of these archetypes may fall under the same character. E.g The princess can be the helper or the dispatcher can be the donor. 

 Levi Strauss 

Examined how stories unconsciously reflect the values, beliefs and myths of culture. These are expressed in the form of BINARY OPPOSITES. 


Other notable facts/perceptions:

Narrative is created to appeal to an audience

Most movies/ shows focus on one person (the protagonist) and the PYSCHOLOGICAL JOURNEY. This may cause the audience to empathise or identify the protagonist. The journey could be physical or metaphorical. This protagonist is most likely the hero and is most likely from a humble background.

The hero isn’t a hero from the beginning. He/she is made into a hero and made one through fate.

Comments

  1. H.O'Shea14 November 2017 at 13:46

    Good. Now quiz yourself to remember these useful starting points for analysis.

    ReplyDelete

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