Media Theories

Claude Levi-Strauss (1908 - 2009)

Binary Opposites:
Good / Evil
Black / White
Tall / Short
Old / Young  ect.

Vladimir Propp (1895 - 1970)
Example:                               Character roles:
James Bond                          1. The hero - the character who seeks something.
Goldfinger                             2. The villain.
Q                                          3. The donor - who provides an with some magic property.
Felix Leiter                            4. The helper - aids the hero.
Pussy Galore                         5. The Princess - reward for hero - often the object of villians schemes.
                                             6. Her father - who rewards the hero.
M                                          7. The dipsatcher - who sends the hero on his way.
                                             8. The false hero - seems to be heroic intially. Turns out to be evil, or a red
                                                  herring.
In films and TV: 'Hero' can be male or female - someone who moves the story forward.
You won't be able to account for every character role type in every text.

Red Herring:
A character or object that is intoduced as seemingly important. It is left behind/forgotten/never mentioned again. Turns out to have been of no importance.

Tzvetan Todorov (1939 -   )
All stories begin with an equilibrium this is dispatched, then restored. A classic begginging, middle, end narrative structure.
3 part narrative structure:
1. Equilibrium
2. Disruption of equilibrium
3. Restoration of equilibrium or new equilibrium.