Propp theory

Film as Fairy Tale

Vladimir Propp, a Russian critic, active in the 1920’s, published his Morphology of the Folk Tale in 1928. While the Soviet cinema was producing excellent films, Propp was essentially interested in the narrative of folk tales. He noticed

Folk tales were similar in many areas. They were about the same basic struggles and they appeared to have stock characters. He identified a theory about characters and actions as narrative functions.

Characters, according to Propp, have a narrative function; they provide a structure for the text. 

Characters that perform a function

The Hero – a character that seeks something

The Villain – who opposes or actively blocks the hero’s quest

The Donor – who provides an object with magical properties

The Dispatcher – who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message

  The False Hero – who disrupts the hero’s success by making false claims

  The Helper – who aids the hero

  The Princess – acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villain’s plots

  Her Father – who acts to reward the hero for his effort

Actions as functions of narrative

Preparation

A community/kingdom/family is in an ordered state of being

A member of the community/kingdom/family leaves home

A warning is given to the leaders of the community or a rule is imposed on the hero

The warning is discounted/ the rule is broken

The villain attempts to discover something about the victim of the broken rule

The villain tries to deceive the victim to gain advantage

The victim unwittingly helps the villain

Complication

A state of disorder

The villain harms a member of the community/kingdom/family

One of the members of the community/kingdom/family desires something

The hero is sent to get what is desired

The hero plans action against the villain

Transference

The hero leaves home

The hero is tested or attacked/ he meets the test and is given a magical gift or helper

The hero reacts to the donor

The hero arrives at the place he can fulfill his quest

Struggle

There is a struggle between the hero and the villain

|The hero is branded

The villain is overcome

The state of disorder is settled 

Return

The hero returns

The hero is pursued

The hero escapes or is rescued

The hero arrives home and is not recognised

A false hero claims rewards

A task is set for the hero

The task is accomplished

Recognition

The hero is recognised

The false hero or villain is unmasked

The false hero is punished

The hero attains the reward (princess/ kingdom)

To Propp events are not just about character and action but also about progressing the narrative.

CRITICISMS

Propp’s theory of narrative seems to be based in a male orientated environment (due to his theory actually reflecting early folk tales) and as such critics often dismiss the theory with regard to film. However, it may still be applied because the function (rather than the gender) of characters is the basis of the theory. E.g. the hero could be a woman; the reward could be a man.

  Critics argue that Propp’s strict order of characters and events is restrictive. We should rather apply the functions and events randomly as we meet new narratives. E.g. the hero may kill the villain earlier than Propp expects. Changing the traditional format will change the whole way the text is received.

Some critics claim there are many more character types than Propp suggests and we should feel free to identify them. E.g. the stooge in a sci-fi film, who is usually nameless and usually killed early on to suggest the power of the alien force, is a typical modern character type.

AS Level examiners have grown to HATE Todorov- because everyone learns the lists & tries to apply it to any narrative they are discussing.

 It applies to Fairy Stories and to other similar narratives based around 'quests' It does not apply to all narratives.

WHY THE THEORY IS USEFUL

It avoids treating characters as if they are individuals and reminds us they are merely constructs. Some characters are indeed there just to progress the narrative.

Research based on “Media Studies” by Stuart Price

Found on: http://www.adamranson.plus.com/Propp.htm

This links in with our trailers as it shows that we show all the characters but not all the sides to each character and what will happen to them at the end to keep the audience interested and wanting to know what will happen next. If we showed the entire character of the killer there wouldn't be much point in seeing the film because you can tell what will happen at the end.

E.g. In 'Scream 4' we see Jill Roberts as a sweet, innocent girl but at the end of the film she ends up being the killer, trying to kill her cousin Sydney.