Narrative

Narrative

Conventions of Narrative
>Genre
>Character
>Form
>Time
Narrative and Genre
Narrative structure is one way of defining genre
Example
A man meets woman
There is a spark of attraction
Something prevents them from being together
Something happens between them

Narrative and Characters
Vladimir Propp identified 8 character types who keep recurring in narratives( he used folk tales to analyse these) he said people understand narratives in terms of these characters.
Example: Lord Of The Rings
>The Villain- Salron
>The Hero- Frodo Baggins
>The Donor- White Witch
>The Helper- Gangi
>The Princess- The Ring
>Her Father Who Rewards TheHero
>The Dispatcher- Gandalf^^
>The False Hero- Gollom

Narrative and Form
Form refers to the type in a wider context than genre
First Person ( I , Me )
Third Person ( You, They )
Open Narrative ( Soap Operas )
Closed Narrative ( Hollywood Film)
Linear / Non Linear
Mode Of Address- how the text speaks to it audience
Narrative And Time
There are various ways of manipulation narrative (Diegetic) time:
Flashbacks
Dream Sequences
Repetition
Different Characters POV
Flash Forwards
Ellipsis

Narrative and Ideology
Ideology is a set of ideas or beliefs, often of fundamental aspects of society
Most films adhere to rather than challenge dominant ideology
Theorists
Toderov- Structure
Propp- Characters
Strauss- Binary Opposites
Syd Field- Three Act Structure
Barthes- Narrative Codes
Freytag- Structure