Wednesday, 22 January 2014

Media Theory - Narrative Theory (Todorov)


Todorov believed that all media texts told a story, he believed that there was a specific process containing several stages that could decide a specific narrative structure. This theory can be applied to my own work regardless of its non-linear narrative structure.

The Stages of Narrative Theory:

Stage 1 - Equilibrium
The normality depicted at the beginning of the narrative. Everything is balanced, happy and normal. This gives the viewer an idea of the average, everyday life that the protagonist leads.

Stage 2 - Disruption
The previously shown normality of the equilibrium is disrupted. This is usually caused by a conflict between two characters, the actions of a character or an unexpected event. 

Stage 3 - Recognition
The disruption is acknowledged by the antagonist, causing it to affect their lives.

Stage 4 - Repair
The protagonist in the narrative attempts to repair the disruption, usually a difficult challenge for the protagonist.

Stage 5 - New Equilibrium
A sense of normality has returned to the narrative. It is named 'new' equilibrium because, although normality is restored, due to the disruption things are now different from the original equilibrium.

The Stages of Narrative Theory applied to my own work:

Stage 1 - Equilibrium
Stage 2 - Disruption
Stage 3 - Recognition
Stage 4 - Repair
Stage 5 - New Equilibrium







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