Vladamir Propp analyzed Russian folk tales and identified their simplest narrative elements. He broke the tales into sections to define them as a series of 31 sequential functions. Propp suggested there are a limited number of character types that share a function and help decode the meaning of a text. He concluded all characters can be classified into 8 broad types, including the villain, dispatcher, helper, princess, her father, donor, hero, and false hero.

1. N arrative Theory

2. • Narrative - A chronological sequence of
events; spoken or written

3. Vladamir Propp
• He was a Soviet formalist scholar who
analyzed the basic plot of Russian folk
tales, in order to identify their simplest
narrative elements.

4. His narrative structure
• He broke up fairy tales into sections,
therefore easier to define the tale into a
series of sequences that occurred
within the Russian fairy tale. He used
this method to decipher Russian folklore
and fairy tales. After the initial situation
is depicted, the tale will take a
sequence of 31 different functions.

5. • He suggests that there are a limited
number of character types that share a
function.
• When an audience read a media text it
deploys its knowledge of these
character types in order to decode the
meaning of the text.

6. • He also concluded that all the
characters could be resolved into 8
broad types:
• The villain
• The dispatcher
• The helper
• The princess
• Her father
• The donor
• The hero
• The false hero

7. • Propp's approach has been criticized
for removing all verbal considerations
from the analysis, even though the
folktale's form is almost always oral,
and also all considerations of tone,
mood, character, and anything that
differentiates one fairy tale from
another.