Thriller Narrative devices & structures

The narrative is the way stories are told. It is a way to organize the structure of the story, such as the cause, effect, action, and inaction.

Flashback/flashforward- when the story skips into the past or future

Red herrings- a wrong lead or distraction in the story

Dramatic Irony- the audience knows more than the characters 

Foreshadowing- hinting that something will happen in a situation.

Pathetic Fallacy- when the weather matches someone's mood

Plot Twist- when something unexpected happens changes the course of the story

Omnipotent narrative- the audience is able to know everything that is happening in the diegetic world

Restrictive narrative- the audience may not know a lot because they only follow the perspective of one character

Deus ex Machina- The story is sorted out by someone who wasn't involved in the story

In media res- the story begins in the middle of an event

Poetic Justice- the protagonist is rewarded at the end of the story

Ticking Clock Scenario- the story takes place against a clock

Unreliable narrator- a voice over is used, but can display some form of bias and can mislead the viewers

Breaking the fourth wall - a character/characters directly addresses the audience

Todorov- equilibrium - disequilibrium - re-equilibrium

McKee's- 5 part Narrative

5 stages of a narrative

1. the state of equilibrium

2. an event that disrupts the equilibrium

3. the protagonist finds out about this

4. the protagonist restores the equilibrium

5. equilibrium is restored but has some effects due to disruption

Mckee 5 part structure- developed and simplified

1. inciting incident

2. progressive complications

3. crisis

4. climax

5. resolution

Propp's approach to narrative

Vladimir Propp studied hundreds of Russian folks and fairytales. He observed that all narratives are shaped and directed by certain types of characters and specific kinds of action. 

He believes there are seven roles that any character may assume in the story

Villain - struggles with the hero

Doner - prepares or provides the hero

Helper - assist, rescues, solves, or transfigures the hero

Princess - a sought-for person who exists as a goal

Dispatcher - sends the hero off

Hero - departs on a search (seeker-hero), reacts to doner

False hero - claims to be the hero

Levi Strauss Narrative theory of binary opposites

He says that we make sense of the world, people, and events by seeing and using Binary opposites everywhere. He observed that all narratives are organized around the conflict between such Binary opposites.

Examples of Binary Opposites

Good vs evil

Black vs White

Boys vs Girls

Strong vs weak

Binary Opposition

This can help to establish who the good and bad characters are. the idea that we cannot conceive the concept of good without the presence of bad with which to compare it to and therefore define it against.

Barthes

There are two ways to create suspense in the narrative 

Enigma code - anything that sets up a question in a narrative

Action code - the plot events that move the story forward