Useful Narrative ideas/theories

For anyone aspiring to the higher grades you'll need to be able quote and evaluate eminent thinkers in the field of narrative. Below are an assortment of key ideas from some major theorists.


These fist two summarise what a narrative is.

“NARRATIVE REFERS TO STORYMAKING AND STORY STRUCTURE. THE NARRATIVE OF A PROGRAMME OR AN ARTICLE IS NOTJUST ITS STORYLINE. IT IS ALSO HOW THE STORY IS ORGANISED AND ABOUT HOW THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE READER IS ORGANISED BY THE WAYS IN WHICH THE STORY IS TOLD” (BURTON, 1990)


“FILMS HAVE A PRIMARY FUNCTION OF TELLING A STORY. THE IMAGES ARE ORGANISED AND MADE SENSE OF AROUND THIS FUNCTION. ESPECIALLY FEATURE FILMS WHICH ARE GIVEN A ‘TREATMENT’ IN TERMS OF IT’S PLOT LINE AND THIS IS PERCIEVED AS BEING WHAT THE FILM IS ABOUT” (ROWE, 1996)


The following are multi discipline, they can be used for questions which cover narrative as well as those which are concerned with audience.


“NARRATIVE REFERS TO THE STRATEGIES,CODES AND CONVENTIONS ( INCLUDING MISE-EN-SCENE AND LIGHTING) EMPLOYED TO ORGANISE A STORY. PRIMARILY, NARRATIVE CINEMA IS ONE THAT USES THESE STRATEGIES AS A MEANS OF REPRODUCING THE ‘REAL’ WORLD, ONE WHICH THE SPECTSTOR CAN EITHER IDENTIFY WITH OR CONSIDER TO BE WITHIN THE REALSM OF POSSIBILITY” (HAYWARD)



“NARRATIVE DEVELOPS ON THE BASIS OF ‘CAUSE AND EFFECT’. AS EXPERIENCED FILM GOERS WE LEARN TO EXPECT AND ANTICIPATE THIS CHAIN” (ROWE, 1996)


“OFTEN WHAT WE CALL SUSPENSE IS NO MORE THAN THE DELAYED FULFILLMENT OF AN EXPECTATION” (BORDWELL AND THOMPSON, 1979)

Narrative and your text

How do audiences decode the narrative of your text?

Organisation of your answer
Essay form - somewhere between 800 and 1000 words is good. If you're stuck for ideas try this structure.

Introduction
What is the decoding process? How do audiences engage in it consciously/unconsciously? Does your narrative follow conventions or challenge existing conventions

Main body paragraphs
In the order that you think is appropriate, you should write a paragraph on each of the following

• Your text and Todorov - how do you play with/follow the audience's expectation of the equilibrium, disequilibrium, new equilibrium pattern?
• Your text & Barthes - how do action and enigma codes work within your text(s)? How do they help drive the narrative on?
• Your text & Propp - What are our expectations of character? How do your characters fullfil Propps character roles?
• Your text & Levi-Strauss - What binary oppositions are present in your text(s), and how do they help our understanding of it? Does the audience's grasp of right/wrong change? (Clue: make strong connections between this paragraph and the one on Propp or Barthes depending on how this has been achieved)
• Your text and Symbolic Codes - Does each sequence has a memento - a significant object which provides a link forward and back? How do these objects help us understand the narrative (fabula) ie how can they be said to help construct it?

Conclusion:
How DO audiences decode the narrative? Why does it make sense?

Length: 800-1000 words