Assignment 8
- 1. Assignment 8: Narrative Theory By: Marisha Inoke
- 2. PART A : TODOROV
- 3. Todorov • Tzvetan Todorov (born March 1, 1939) is a Franco-Bulgarian philosopher. He has lived in France since 1963 and now lives there with his wife Nancy Huston and their two children, writing books and essays about literary theory, thought history and culture theory.
- 4. Todorov's narrative theory • Todorov suggested that stories begin with an equilibrium (or normality). • This is disrupted by an event which causes a disequilibrium which then causes other chain of events to occur. • In the end the problem is solved and everything is restored back to its equilibrium.
- 5. Todorov suggested that there are 5 stages of narrative (with 3 major parts). THIS ARE THE FIVE STAGES: • Equilibrium (or normality). • Disequilibrium (conflict/disruption of equilibrium by action or event). • Recognition of Disequilibrium (disruption/conflict). • Attempt to repair. - NEW equilibrium.
- 6. Equilibrium NEW Disequilibrium equilibrium Todorov’s narrative theory Attempt to Recognitions of repair Disequilibrium
- 7. These five stages are familiar to the audience as it is mainly used in 'mainstream' films. An example of a film with these five stages is Harold & Kumar escape from Guantanamo bay. • In the beginning of the film everything is at equilibrium and it's just introducing the two characters (which are best-friends). • Then we have the dis-equilibrium/disruption caused by an event that happened on the airplane where he gests misunderstood for using a bomb instead of a bong which he brought onto his flight. They both get imprisoned on suspicions of terrorism. Then soon after they escape from Guantanamo bay and try to outrun the authorities. Throughout the film they experience one situation after another. • Harold & Kumar recognises the dis-equilibrium and that their both in a serious situation and crashes their friends wedding to ask the groom to help them out as they are in trouble with the law, without not knowing that the groom is the villain and they are arrested and get taken into interrogation. • In the end they are free from imprisonment. Kumar ends up with the groom’s fiancé (his ex-lover) and flies to Amsterdam so that Harold can meet the girl he had previously met in the elevator. The ending scene is at a new equilibrium and everything is back to normal as it is a happy ending for both characters.
- 9. PART B: LEVI STRAUSS
- 10. LEVI STRAUSS • He believed that our world is described in BINARY OPPOSITES. • When we look at themes within stories they consists of differences, contradictions and conflict or opposites. BINARY OPPOSITES night day Young old Good Bad light dark male female
- 11. Cont. • Suggests that we are only able to understand 'good' when 'evil' is present. An example of this is mainly in super-hero films where you have a binary opposites like the Hero and the Villain. • Furthermore he believes that opposition offers structure to a text.
- 12. Problem • The problem with Strauss theory is that it creates a dominant ideology for a Hero and a villain which is incorporated in to the text. • It can create the dangerous 'norms' like the Hero is represented as a white, male, handsome, muscular and a good citizen. • Whereas you have the ethnic minorities represented in a negative stereotype like causing a felony, breaking laws or being a bad citizen.
- 13. DRAMA ACTION LEVI STRAUSS TASK 1 HORROR SCI-FI THRILLER Genre: Action Film: Opposite 1 Opposite 2 Explanation Spiderman (Spiderman is seen as a hero as he saves the helpless girl). Costume presents the character as a Spiderman is presented as a Hero as binary opposite to Spiderman. It is conventional to see the binary he saves the girl as Hero's usually do opposites in Action (Super-hero) films in mainstream films, especially in as there has to be a hero and a villain. super-hero films as it is incorporated in them. Furthermore, he is presented Sometimes it can be between the as a kind hearted individual when hero and his sidekick. being The hero is portrayed as an unselfish character as opposed to the villain as he is selfish and just wants POWER for selfishness reasons.