The Theories of Propp and Todorov

The Theories of Propp and Todorov

Vladimir Propp

Vladimir Propp was born on April 17, 1895 in St. Perersburg. He studied at St. Petersburg University majoring in Russian and German Philology. He published his morphology of the Folktale in 1928. 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. His character types can be applied to almost any story, be it in literature, theatre, film, television series and games. He essentially portrayed film as a fairytale. 

His Theory:
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 plot
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 fulfil 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)

Tzvetan Todorov
Tzvetan Todorov (born March 1, 1939) is a Franco-Bulgarian philosopher. He has lived in France since 1963. He's spent his career writing books and essays about literary theory, thought history and culture theory. Tzvetan Todorov simplified the idea of narrative theory whilst also allowing a more complex interpretation of film texts with his theory of Equilibrium and Disequilibrium.
There are five stages the narrative can progress through:
A state of equilibrium/status quo - all potentially opposing forces are balanced.
A disruption of that order/equilibrium by an event
A recognition that the disorder has occurred
An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption
A return or restoration of a NEW equilibrium
This narrative structure can be applied to most mainstream films of today.

List of Sub-genres (and what makes them different) within the Thriller Genre

Name of sub-genre	Description	example
Conspiracy Thrillers	In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognises.	Enemy of the State (1998)
Crime Thrillers	This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasise action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include serial killers/murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, heists and double crosses.	Se7en (1995)
Disaster Thrillers	In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc, or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster.	The day after Tomorrow (2004)
Erotic Thrillers	A type of thriller that has an emphasis on eroticism and where a sexual relationship plays an important role in the plot. It has become popular since the 1980s and the rise of VCR market penetration.	Fatal attraction (1987)
Legal Thrillers	In which the lawyer-heroes/heroines confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives.	A few good men (1992)
Medical Thrillers	In which the hero/heroine are medical doctors/personnel working to solve an expanding medical problem.	Contagion (2011)
Mystery Thrillers	Suspense films where characters attempt solving, or involved in, a mystery.	Psycho (1960)
Political Thrillers	In which the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him.	The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Religious Thrillers	In which the plot is closely connected to religious objects, institutions and questions.	End of days (1999)
Psychological Thrillers	In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical.	Shutter Island (2010)

The BBFC

List of age ratings as decided by the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) 

Age rating	Description
Universal (U)	All ages admitted, there is nothing unsuitable for children.
Parental guidance (PG)	All ages admitted, but certain scenes may be unsuitable for young children. May contain mild language and sex/drugs references. May contain moderate violence if justified by context (e.g. fantasy).
12A	Cinema only. Introduced in 2002. Films under this category are considered to be unsuitable for very young people. Those aged under 12 years are only admitted if accompanied by an adult, aged at least 18 years, at all times during the motion picture. However, it is generally not recommended that children under 12 years should watch the film. Films under this category can contain mature themes, discrimination, soft drugs, moderate swear words, infrequent strong language and moderate violence, sex references and nudity. Sexual activity may be briefly and discreetly portrayed. Sexual violence may be implied or briefly indicated.
12	Home media only since 2002. 12A-rated films are usually given a 12 certificate for the VHS/DVD version unless extra material has been added that requires a higher rating. Nobody younger than 12 can rent or buy a 12-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game. The content guidelines are identical to those used for the 12A certificate.
15	Only those over 15 years are admitted. Nobody younger than 15 can rent or buy a 15-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game, or watch a film in the cinema with this rating. Films under this category can contain adult themes, hard drugs, frequent strong language and limited use of very strong language, strong violence and strong sex references, and nudity without graphic detail. Sexual activity may be portrayed but without any strong detail. Sexual violence may be shown if discreet and justified by context.
18	Only adults are admitted. Nobody younger than 18 can rent or buy an 18-rated VHS, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UMD or game, or watch a film in the cinema with this rating. Films under this category do not have limitation on the bad language that is used. Hard drugs are generally allowed, and explicit sex references along with detailed sexual activity are also allowed. Scenes of strong real sex may be permitted if justified by the context. Very strong, gory, and/or sadistic violence is usually permitted. Strong sexual violence is permitted unless it is eroticised or excessively graphic.
Restricted 18	Can only be shown at licensed adult cinemas or sold at licensed sex shops, and only to adults, those aged 18 or over. Films under this category are always hard-core pornography, defined as material intended for sexual stimulation and containing clear images of real sexual activity, strong fetish material, explicit animated images, or sight of certain acts such as triple simultaneous penetration and snowballing. There remains a range of material that is often cut from the R18 rating: strong images of injury in BDSM or spanking works, urolagnia, scenes suggesting incest even if staged, references to underage sex or childhood sexual development and aggressive behaviour such as hair-pulling or spitting on a performer are not permitted. More cuts are demanded in this category than any other category.