Applying Narrative Theory To The Shining.

In class we looked at four narative theories and applied them to the Horror film, The Shining.


PROPP.
Vladimir Propp constructed together 8 character roles and 31 narrative functions.
The 8 character functions he came up with were the villain, the hero, the doner, the helper, the princess, her father, the dispatcher and the false hero. We then went on to recognise what character played what role. Jack took on the function of the false hero and also the villian and in some way, so did the hotel. Danny and his mother Wendy took on the roles of the heroes, and Dick Hallorann was the doner.

PROBLEMS with this were things such as there was not one particular character for each function, and some functions, eg. the father of the princess did not exist.

Todorov.

Tzvetan Todorov developed the idea that stories begin with equilibrium where opposing forces are in balance. The story of The shining relates with this theory. The story begins in normality, then the enigma is raised when they begin to start discovering things about the hotel and when strange things begin to occour. A pathway to resolution then happens as everything begins to really kick in within the film and then it comes to a closure as Jack dies and Danny and Wendy escape.

PROBLEMS.

It all seems to work, but maybe there is no clear ending to this story? It also leaves us with answered questions as it doesn't tell us much.

Levi-Strauss

Claude Levi-Strauss focused on binary oppositions.For example, In the shining theres this whole idea of isolation (in the hotel) against the loss of connection with the community before enetering the hotel. We also understand the idea of innocence against evil, with Wendy and Jack. This is shown in the video below, which is a clip from the film.

PROBLEMS with this are that the film almost hints that something is going to go wrong from the start as they are moving away and danny already has no friends as it is.



Bordwell & Thompson.
Bordwell & Thomspon created the theory of a chain of events happening in a cause-effect relationship, occouring in space and time. The use of time is greatly used in the shining in that the films shows the black screen of each day passing by, and each day Jack is slowly becoming more mad. The days begin to have no meaning as we loose control with them. The film also shows the same shot of the hotel each day to show the days are all the same.

PROBLEMS with this were that it shows us the quickness of ths story and it makes us loose sense of time.