Narrative Theories

Vladimir Propp
Characters, according to Propp, have a narrative function; they provide a structure for the text. He identifies 8 characters:

1. The Hero – a character that seeks something
2. The Villain – who opposes or actively blocks the hero’s quest
3. The Donor – who provides an object with magical properties
4. The Dispatcher – who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message
5. The False Hero – who disrupts the hero’s success by making false claims
6. The Helper – who aids the hero
7. The Princess – acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villain’s plots
8. Her Father – who acts to reward the hero for his effort

He also indentifies 6 stages of the narrative:

1. Preparation
2. Complication
3. Transference
4. Struggle
5. Return
6. Recognition

Tzvetan Todorov
Believed that there are five stages to narrative structure.

1. A state of Equilibrium. (All as is if it should be)
2. A disruption to that order (by an event)
3. A recognition that the disorder has occurred.
4. An attempt to repair the damage.
5. A return or restoration to start a NEW equilibrium. 

Roland Barthes
Barthes came up with 5 codes that are "woven" into any narrative.

1. Action code - Events taking place.
2. Enigma code - Questions raised & answered.
3. Semantic code - Characters & characterisation.
4. Referential code - Information  & explanation.
5. Symbolic code - Connotations of signs.

Claude Levi-Strauss
Levi-Strauss looked at narrative structure in terms of binary oppositions. Binary opositions are sets of opposite values which reveals the structure of media texts. For example good and evil, young and old, male and female ect. Levi-Strauss was not interested in the order events were arranged in the plot.