Todorov and Propps theories

Todorov's Theory for narratives:

Todorov proposed a basic structure for all narratives. He stated that films and programmes should all begin with an equilibrium, everything is settled. Then disruption is caused and there is disequilibrium, a period of were there is no settlement. This is then followed by a renewed state of peace and harmony for the protagonists and a new equilibrium brings all the chaos to an end. The simplest form of narrative also known as and referred to as ‘Classic’ or ‘Hollywood’ narrative.



Propp's Theory:

Vladimir Propp’s theory was formed in the early twentieth Century. He studies Russian fairytales and discovered that in stories there were always 8 types of characters. These known as the hero, the villain, the donor, the dispatcher, the false hero, the helper, the princess and her father. He did not state these characters were all separate people e.g. the provider could also be the helper. There are only 8 different character types and only 31 things they ever do. Once you have identified the character type (e.g., the hero) it’s easy to guess what they will do (save the maiden, defeat the villain, marry the maiden and so forth) because each character has a some action to play part in. This is easily relatable to films and programmes today.