Media Studies - Propp's Character Theory - Simple Guide For Students & Teachers
Summary
TLDRThis guide introduces Vladimir Propp's character theory, which identifies recurring character types in narratives. Propp's theory, though old and not originally for film or TV, can be applied to modern media. Key character roles include the hero, villain, helper, dispatcher, donor, and false hero. The guide advises students to analyze texts for these character types, using examples from GCC and A-Level exams. It highlights recognizing characters like the hero in a Quality Street advert and considering unconventional representations, such as in 'Kiss of the Vampire'.
Takeaways
- 📚 Vladimir Propp's theory can be applied to both GCSE and A-Level Media Studies.
- 👴 Propp's theory originated a long time ago and was not specifically for films or TV but for narratives in general.
- 🧐 Propp identified recurring character types in most narratives, which can be applied to modern media.
- 🦸♂️ The 'Hero' is a common character type in stories, often portrayed as central and powerful.
- 🦹♂️ The 'Villain' is another typical character that opposes the hero.
- 🏰 The 'Damsel in Distress' is a character that often needs saving by the hero.
- 🤹♂️ The 'Helper' or 'Sidekick' assists the hero on their journey.
- 📜 The 'Dispatcher' is the character who sends the hero on their quest.
- 🎁 'Donors' are characters who provide the hero with gifts or items to aid their quest.
- 🤔 The 'False Hero' is a character who attempts to be the hero but is not genuinely good.
- 🔍 In exams, students should identify characters from texts that fit Propp's character types.
- 🍫 In the Quality Street advert example, the man is portrayed as a hero with women looking up to him.
- 👸 The women in the advert are represented as 'princess' characters, potential prizes for the hero.
- 🧛♀️ In 'Kiss of the Vampire', it's important to identify the hero and any unconventional representations of character types.
- 📚 Understanding Propp's character types is crucial for analyzing narratives in set texts.
Q & A
Who is Vladimir Propp and what is his contribution to Media Studies?
-Vladimir Propp is a theorist from a long time ago who created a theory about characters that might appear in typical narratives. His theory can be applied to Media Studies, particularly in analyzing characters in stories and narratives, including modern media products like films and TV programs.
What is the significance of Propp's theory in analyzing narratives?
-Propp's theory is significant because it identifies certain character types that frequently appear in most narratives. Understanding these character types can help in analyzing and interpreting the roles and functions of characters in various stories.
According to Propp, what are the typical character types that appear in narratives?
-Propp identifies several character types including the hero, villain, damsel in distress, helper (sidekick), dispatcher (the one who sends the hero on their quest), donor (gives something to the hero), and the false hero.
How can Propp's theory be applied to modern media products like films and TV programs?
-Propp's theory can be applied to modern media by examining the characters in films and TV programs to see if they fit into any of the character types he described. This can help in understanding the structure and dynamics of the narrative.
What is the role of the 'dispatcher' in Propp's character types?
-The dispatcher is the character who sends the hero on their quest. They are instrumental in initiating the narrative's main action by giving the hero a purpose or mission.
What is the role of the 'donor' in Propp's character types?
-The donor is a character who provides something to the hero that aids them in their quest. This could be an item, information, or some form of assistance that is crucial for the hero's journey.
What is the 'false hero' character type in Propp's theory?
-The 'false hero' is a character who attempts to take on the role of the hero but is not genuinely good or capable. They often create conflict or misunderstanding in the narrative.
How can students use Propp's theory in an exam situation?
-Students can use Propp's theory in exams by analyzing the characters in the given text and identifying which, if any, fit into Propp's character types. This helps in understanding the narrative structure and the roles of the characters.
Can you provide an example of how Propp's theory is applied to an advertisement?
-In the Quality Street advert example, the man is represented as a hero with women surrounding him, looking up at him. The women are represented as princess characters, fitting the damsel in distress type, which the hero is trying to win over.
How might Propp's theory be applied to the film 'Kiss of the Vampire'?
-In 'Kiss of the Vampire', one could analyze the characters to determine who fits the hero role and who might be the damsel in distress. The film poster might suggest certain characters, but the actual narrative may present them in unconventional ways, challenging Propp's character types.
What is the importance of understanding Propp's character types when analyzing set texts?
-Understanding Propp's character types is important for analyzing set texts because it provides a framework for discussing the characters' roles and their contributions to the narrative. It can reveal traditional or subverted narrative structures.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Vladimir Propp's Character Theory
This paragraph introduces the concept of character theory by Vladimir Propp, a theorist whose work is relevant to both GCSE and A-Level Media Studies. The speaker explains that Propp's theory, though quite old and not specifically designed for modern media like films or TV, can be applied to narratives in general. The theory posits that there are certain character types that frequently appear in narratives, such as the hero, villain, damsel in distress, sidekick (referred to as the 'helper' by Propp), dispatcher (the one who sends the hero on their quest), and the donor (who provides the hero with something to aid their journey). Additionally, the concept of a 'false hero' is mentioned. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of recognizing these character types when analyzing texts in an exam setting, using examples from a Quality Street advertisement and the film 'Kiss of the Vampire' to illustrate how characters can be represented in unconventional ways according to Propp's theory.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Vladimir Propp
💡Character Types
💡Narratives
💡Dispatcher
💡Donor
💡False Hero
💡Helper
💡Damsel in Distress
💡Exam Situation
💡Quality Street
💡Kiss of the Vampire
Highlights
Introduction to Vladimir Propp's character theory
Propp's theory is applicable to both GCC and A-Level Media Studies
Theory's simplicity and its relevance to modern media products
Propp's theory originated from analyzing narratives, not specifically films or TV
Existence of recurring character types in narratives
Identification of the 'hero' and 'villain' as common character types
The 'damsel in distress' and 'helper' or 'sidekick' characters
The role of the 'dispatcher' who sends the hero on their quest
The concept of 'donors' who provide assistance to the hero
The presence of a 'false hero' in some narratives
Application of Propp's theory to analyze characters in a given text
Example of applying theory to the 'Quality Street' advert
The man in the advert portrayed as a 'hero' character
Women in the advert represented as 'princess' or 'damsel in distress' characters
Unconventional representation of characters in 'Kiss of the Vampire'
Importance of understanding Propp's character types for exam situations
Encouragement to apply Propp's theory to set texts for the Educast exam board
Transcripts
hello and welcome to my
easy-to-understand guide to props theory
Vladimir Propp is a theorist that could
pop up at both GCC and a level Media
Studies so it's important to know that
the good news is it's quite a simple
theory to understand now prop is a
theorist or was a theorist a long time
ago who created this theory about
characters that might appear in typical
narratives now it's important to
remember that his theory is quite old
and he didn't specifically come up with
this theory in relation to films or TV
programs but more about stories and
narratives in general we can apply it to
more modern media products his theory
simply is that he thinks that there are
certain character types that pop up in
most narratives so you're probably aware
of the typical characters that come up
in stories your hero your villain you
often have a damsel in distress you
often have a sidekick character who prop
calls the helper he also thinks there is
a character called the dispatcher who is
the person that often sends the hero on
their quest in the first place he also
thinks that there are characters that
act as donors they are people who donate
or give something to the hero to help
them on their quest
sometimes in narratives we have a false
hero somebody who is trying to be the
hero somebody who's trying to win but is
not really a good guy or a good person
now your job when using this theory in
an exam situation is to be able to look
whatever text is in front of you and try
and work out if any of the characters in
the text have been represented in a way
that fits one of these prop character
types
can you see who the hero is and how have
they been made to look like a hero if
you're doing GCC in your quality street
text if you are on the edge of caste
exam board you'll be able to see that
the man in the quality Street advert is
in the center of the adverts you've got
the
women around him around him surrounding
him looking up at him as though he's
some kind of hero and all of the images
kind of point to him in the middle of
the picture drawing our attention to him
and making him seem very powerful so
he's been represented as a kind of hero
in this advert and the two women I've
been definitely represented as the kind
of princess characters the women that
he's trying to win over the women that
he's trying to decide who he wants to be
where they're his prizes for having such
great chocolates obviously if you are
doing a level I want you to have a think
about some of the set texts that you
have got for the educast exam board if
you have a think about something like
kiss of the vampire is it clear who is
the hero is it clear who is the sort of
damsel in distress princess character
and actually what you could find is that
some of the women on the film poster
look as though they may be a damsel in
distress princess character that the
hero has to save but the other lady on
the poster in the middle it has a much
more powerful dominant body language
facial expression she stood up she has a
man by the throat and so perhaps she is
represented in a very unconventional way
in relation to props character theory so
it's important that you understand those
typical character types that prop thinks
come up in different narratives and that
you can try and apply them to those set
texts
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