Propp's character theory

Propp’s character theory

7 archetypes:

1.    The villain: a character that struggles against the hero

2.    The donor: a character who prepares the hero, or gives the hero an object or power to aid them

3.     The helper: a character who is often imbued with a gift/power/world view the hero does not have – who aids the hero in their quest

4.    The princess: the character the hero loves – often sought for in the narrative/object of the quest

5.     The false hero: first perceived as a good character (often aiding the hero in their quest), later revealed to be – or emerges as – evil

6.      The dispatcher: the character who makes the ‘lack’ known, sending the hero off on their quest

7.    The hero: AKA the victim/seeker/winner – reacts to the donor, ‘marries’ the princess

Applying Propp's character theory to The Lord of the Rings:-

The Lord of the Rings is a great example of Propp's theory because it has a basic set of main characters who fit in nicely with the archetypes Propp's theory outlines.

The villain: Sauron - doesn't want the Fellowship to destroy the ring, sends armies to fight against them.

The donor: Bilbo - passes the ring on to Frodo, gives him Sting and the mithril armour.

The helper: Sam - has willpower Frodo doesn't have, helps Frodo take the ring to Mordor.

The princess: The Ring - sought after by most characters, instead of the hero 'marrying' the princess, The Ring is destroyed by Frodo.

The false hero: Saruman - originally trusted by Gandalf but betrays him, Gollum - strays in and out of good and bad, sometimes aiding Frodo and Sam in their quest, sometimes plotting against them.

The dispatcher: Gandalf - tells Frodo of the danger of Sauron and The Ring, gives him the ring and tells him to leave.

The hero: Frodo - takes The Ring given to him by Gandalf. You could also say Aragorn is the hero, Arwen being his princess who he marries at the end

Applying the theory to The Last of Us:-

Trying to apply Propp's character theory to The Last of Us is more difficult than The Lord of the Rings, mainly because it doesn't follow the standard character design, and because the game focuses mainly on the main characters, Joel and Ellie.

The villain/donor: Marlene gives Joel and Tess the task of smuggling Ellie out of the city (donor), but in the end she wants Ellie to undergo surgery that would kill her.

The helper/princess: Ellie is sought after by the Fireflies, Joel begins the love her like a daughter. She was bit but hasn't turned - shes immune

The false hero: Fireflies/Marlene - Initially believed to be helping Ellie, end up wanting to experiment on her which would kill her.

The dispatcher: Tess - tells Joel to take Ellie out of the city

The hero: Joel - Marlene (donor) pays him to smuggle Ellie; in the end he saves Ellie from the Fireflies

Narrative theory

Todorov's narrative theory

There are five stages the narrative can progress through:

1. A state of equilibrium.

2. A disruption of that order by an event.

3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred.

4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption.

5. A return or restoration of a new equilibrium.

Todorov's theory loosely applies to the Grimm Brothers version of Cinderella. 



Equilibrium: Cinderella is miserable and everyone is horrible to her.
Disruption: Cinderella meeting the Fairy God Mother and going to the ball, meeting the Prince.
Recognition: Cinderella loses her glass slipper and the Prince seeks the girl who owns the slipper. The step-sisters try to fit into the slipper by cutting their feet, but the Prince is alerted of this.
Repair the disruption: The step-sisters eyes are pecked out by pigeons and their plan is ruined.
New equilibrium: Cinderella is found by the Prince and they live happily in his castle while the step-sisters become blind beggars.

A film that fits nicely into Todorov's theory is District 9.

Equilibrium: The aliens live in District 9 in Johannesburg, there are conflicts between the aliens and humans and people generally don't like them being there.
Disruption: MNU begin evicting the aliens from the slum and Wikus is put in charge of the operation. This causes him to meet Christopher and get sprayed with the fluid which causes the transformation.
Recognition: MNU takes the infected Wickus for testing, telling his wife he is dead. Wickus escapes and enters District 9, while MNU create lies to cover Wickus' escape.
Repair the disruption: Wickus and Christopher break into MNU to recover the fluid they need to power the ship. Wickus fights Kobus in the robot suit and allows Christopher to escape with his son.
New equilibrium: Wikus is left on earth and turns into an Alien, he is left there until Christopher returns to save him and his people.

Propp's Narrative Theory

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)

To Propp events are not just about character and action but also about progressing the narrative.

Dark fairy tales

DARK FAIRY TALES

THE LITTLE MERMAID

The Little Mermaid is in constant pain, contemplates murder, dies

Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 original tale of The Little Mermaid was completely devoid of calypso-singing crustaceans and a conventionally happy ending.
Instead the protagonist mermaid trades her tongue (it's chopped off) and fins for human legs that feel like they're constantly being stabbed with knives.
After the prince marries another woman, the mermaid considers stabbing him to death so that his blood will magically transform her back into an icthyosapien.She rejects this plan, melts into sea foam, and becomes a "daughter of the air" favored by the Christian God (as opposed to Poseidon or Cthulhu).

ALICE MADNESS RETURNS

In Alice Madness Returns, Alice becomes insane, believing herself responsible for a fire that consumed her home and her family, escaping into a twisted version of Wonderland. During an errand, Alice is struck by a hallucination and believes herself to be in Wonderland again. Throughout the rest of the game, the player witnesses periods where Alice briefly returns to reality between episodes occurring within Wonderland. 

Within the corrupted Wonderland, Alice attempts to learn more from Wonderland's various citizens, including the Mad Hatter, the Mock Turtle, the Walrus and the Carpenter, and the Caterpillar.