1. NARRATIVE INVESTIGATION
Charlotte Joyce

2. WHAT IS NARRATIVE?
• Narrative states that there are different types of story structures within
genres. And narrative is the way different events are composed to be
presented to an audience

3. NARRATIVE THEORISTS
Vladimir Propp
• Propp was a Russian critic and literary theorist
• He analysed over 100 Russian fairy tales in the 1920s.
• He proposed that it was possible to classify the characters and their actions into clearly
defined roles and functions, it highlights the similarities between seemingly quite different stories.
• He created 8 main character roles these were;
1. Hero – seeks something
2. Villain – opposes hero
3. Donor – helps hero by providing a magic object
4. Dispatcher – sends the hero on his way
5. False hero – falsely assumes the role of the hero
6. The helper – gives support to the hero
7. Princess – the reward for the hero, but also needs help from the villain
8. Her father

4. NARRATIVE THEORISTS
Tzvetan Todorov
• Todorov suggests most narratives start with a state of equilibrium in
which life is ‘normal’ and the protagonist is happy.
• This state of normality is disrupted by an outside force, which has to be
fought against in order to return to a state of equilibrium.
• This model can easily be applied to a range of films eg. Silent Hill
Equilibrium Disequilibrium Restoration of Equilibrium

5. NARRATIVE THEORISTS
Roland Barthes
• He suggested that narrative works with five different codes which
activate the reader to make sense of it, these were;
1. Action – a narrative device by which a resolution is produced through
action
2. Enigma – a narrative device that teases the audience by presenting a
puzzle or riddle to be solved and works to delay the story’s ending
pleasurably.
3. Symbolic – connotation
4. Semiotic – (denotation)
5. Cultural – a narrative device which the audience can recognise as being
part of a culture.

6. NARRATIVE THEORISTS
Claude Levi-Strauss
• He examined how stories unconsciously reflect the values, beliefs and myths of a
culture, these are usually expressed in the form of binary oppositions (a
conflict between two qualities or terms) eg. Good vs. evil and love vs. hate
• His research has been adapted by media theorists to reveal underlying
themes and symbolic oppositions in media texts.

7. HOW DO THESE THEORIES LINK
WITH THE HORROR GENRE?
• The theory of Propp links to the horror genre as in horror movies there are
always the character types of the hero, the villain, the helper and the princess
eg. The Pact.
• Also the theory of Todorov applies to the horror genre as in horror movies
the audience always see at the start everything is normal, then something
occurs eg. evil spirit and everything is chaotic and extremely bad and then
eventually at the end something happens and everything is restored back to
normal. Eg. Paranormal Activity.
• Barthes theory links to the horror movie as during the film the audience often
see an enigma or come across and mystery which needs to be solved eg. The
Woman in Black.
• Also Levi-Strauss’s theory links to the horror genre as the binary opposition of
good vs. evil is always used for example the victim is always a good person and
the villain is always bad. E.g. Insidious.