Tuesday, 5 April 2011

Vladimir Propp

Vladimir Propp created a theory based upon the idea that every narrative(storyline) has a selection of stereotypical characters being:

The Hero – a character that seeks something

The Villain – who opposes or actively blocks the hero’s quest

The Donor – who provides an object with magical properties

The Dispatcher – who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message

The False Hero – who disrupts the hero’s success by making false claims

The Helper – who aids the hero

The Princess – acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villain’s plots

Her Father – who acts to reward the hero for his effort

Not all story lines follow these conventions exactly but all roughly follow the same structure.


The Hero is Robin Hood he is the leading character and is paired up with Maid Marian, playing the princess role. The helper is Little John who stays by Robin throughout the film, trying to defeat and over come the villain, The Sheriff of Nottingham.

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