VLADIMIR PROPP'S THEORY

VLADIMIR PROPP'S THEORY

Vladimir Propp was a Russian folklorist researcher/theorist interested in the relationship between characters and narrative. Propp argued that stories are character-driven and that plots develop from the decisions and actions of characters and how they function in a story.

He noted that there were repeated characters in many different media texts and they are found in almost all forms.

These archetypes include 8 types of characters and narrative that were found;

1. The Father; resistant throughout, finally accepts in the end.

2. The Princess aka prize; The hero wins her as a prize

3. The Hero; a character that seeks something

4. The Vilnian; someone who opposes the hero's mission

5. The Donor; someone who provides an object with special properties

6. The False Hero; someone who disrupts the hero's success by making false claims

7. The Helper; someone who aids the hero 

8. The Dispatcher; someone who sends the hero in their mission with a message