Todorov suggested that stories begin with an equilibrium where any potentially opposing forces are in balance. This is then disrupted by an event that leads to a chain of events, ending with solutions to the disruptions so that order is restored. This theory can be broken down into 5 parts -
1. A state of equilibrium
2. A disruption of the equilibrium (disequilibrium)
3. A recognition that there is disequilibrium
4. An attempt to repair the disruption
5. A reinstatement of the new equilibrium
Vladimir Propp
Propp identified a theory about characters and narrative functions. According to Propp the characters have a naarative function, as they provide a structure for the text. He identified 8 key characters that perform a function.
1. The Hero - a character that seeks something
2. The Villain - the character who opposes the hero's quest
3. The Donor - the character that provides an object with magical properties
4. The Dispatcher - the character that sends the hero on his/her quest via a message
5. The False Hero - the character that disrupts the hero's success by making false claims
6. The Helper - a character who works to aid the hero
7. The Princess - the character that acts as a reward for the hero and the objective of the villain's plots
8. Her Father - that character that acts to reward the hero for his effort
Claude Levi-Strauss
Levi-Strauss' narrative theory reflects his interest in how much of our world is described in terms of opposites, such as night and day, good and bad or male and female. He also noticed that these oppositions tended to structure texts such as plays, stories and films.
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