Proppian Character Types

Vladimir Propp

Vladimir Propp was born in 1895 in Russia. He was a media theorist who analysed over 100 folk tales and realised that certain characters appear repeatedly in all the tales.              

  His theory is useful because it avoids treating characters as if they are individuals and reminds us that they’re merely constructs. Some characters are involved just to progress the narrative.

These recurring characters are ones such as the:

Star Wars VI: Return Of The Jedi

Hero – Luke Skywalker

Villain – Darth Vader

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Damsel in Distress – Princess Leila



Sender-Obi Wan

Gift Giver-Yoda

 

 

Most folk tales and Superhero films contain the majority of the common Proppian characters, most notably the heroes and villains, This is because there would be no need for a superhero if there was nothing to fight against/ for.

   

In different genres such as comedy films, Proppian characters still occur but not all of the same ones appear. In the trailer for the hangover, there are the heroes such as the 3 main protagonists and the villain who is Mr Cheung who kidnapped their friend Doug. Doug in this case would be the ‘Damsel in Distress’ which is strange because in most cases the damsel in distress in usually a female as they are seen as the more dependant gender. Also Doug's wife would be the sender in this case as they are getting married so he is sent on a stag party. 

  The characters which appear most in film trailers no matter what genre are the ‘heroes’ and the ‘villains’. This is due to the fact that it makes the film involve some form of competition which makes the film more interesting for the viewer to watch. It also follows tradition from books and fairy-tales. There is usually a damsel in distress of some sort, but it isn’t a necessary component.

The Exorcist

    Proppian character types within the exorcist:

•       Emily rose-the damsel in distress

•       Her mother- the helper

•       Doctor- gift giver