Media language

Overview

Narratology is a fundamental aspect of Media Language in GCSE Media Studies. It moves beyond simply describing what happens in a text (the plot) to analysing how the story is told (the narrative). Examiners expect candidates to use specific terminology and theoretical frameworks to explain how narrative choices construct meaning and position the audience. This guide covers key concepts including diegesis, causality, and character types, alongside essential theories from Tzvetan Todorov, Roland Barthes, and Vladimir Propp.

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Key Theories & Concepts

Todorov's Narrative Theory

The Concept: Tzvetan Todorov proposed that most narratives follow a linear three-stage structure.

The Stages:

1. Equilibrium: The opening state of normality where characters live in a stable world.
2. Disruption: An event or force that breaks the equilibrium, introducing conflict and driving the narrative forward.
3. New Equilibrium: A restored state of balance at the end of the narrative, often changed from the original state due to the events of the disruption.

Exam Application: Don't just identify the stages. Explain how the equilibrium is established through media language (e.g., calm lighting, slow editing) and why the disruption engages the audience (e.g., creating tension or suspense).

Barthes' Narrative Codes

The Concept: Roland Barthes identified five codes that operate within texts to create meaning.

The Codes:

1. Enigma Code (Hermeneutic): Withholding information to create mystery and audience questions.
2. Action Code (Proairetic): Actions that signal something is going to happen, building suspense.
3. Semantic Code: Elements with connotations or additional meanings.
4. Symbolic Code: Deeper meanings often based on binary oppositions (e.g., good vs. evil).
5. Cultural Code: References to shared knowledge outside the text.

Exam Application: Identify specific codes in a text and explain how they construct meaning or position the audience. For example, 'The enigma code is used in the opening shot to position the audience to feel curious and keep watching.'

Propp's Character Theory

The Concept: Vladimir Propp identified recurring character roles (spheres of action) in narratives.

Key Roles:

• Hero: Drives the narrative forward.
• Villain: Opposes the hero and creates the disruption.
• Princess: The goal or reward.
• Donor: Provides the hero with something useful.
• Helper: Assists the hero.
• Dispatcher: Sends the hero on their quest.
• False Hero: Appears heroic but is deceptive.

Exam Application: In contemporary media, these roles are often subverted (e.g., a female protagonist acting as the hero rather than the princess). Discussing subversion shows higher-level analytical thinking.

Key Narrative Concepts

Diegesis and Narration

• Diegesis: The world of the narrative. Everything that exists within the story world.
• Diegetic Sound: Sound that characters in the story can hear (e.g., dialogue, footsteps).
• Non-Diegetic Sound: Sound added for the audience that characters cannot hear (e.g., a musical score, voiceover).
• Narration: How the story is told to the audience (e.g., first-person, third-person omniscient).

Causality

The chain of cause and effect that links events in a narrative. Events are not random; they follow a logical sequence that drives the plot from disruption to resolution.