Understanding Narrative Structure

What is narrative?

• How a story is told, not what is told

• The setting of the story

• A list of characters in the story

• The title of the story

What is often described as a first, second, and third act?

• Beginning, middle, and end

• The climax, resolution, and denouement

• The setting, plot, and characters

• The introduction, conclusion, and flashback

How many states did Todorov suggest form the majority of narratives?

• 5 states

• 3 states

• 7 states

• 4 states

What is the state of the world at the beginning according to Todorov?

• Equilibrium

• Chaos

• Conflict

• Disequilibrium

Does the world at the beginning of the film need to be happy?

• No

• Yes

• Only in comedies

• It depends on the genre

What de-balances the equilibrium?

• Disruption

• Resolution

• Reinforcement

• Stability

Which part of Todorov's theory "sets the characters off on a mission"?

• The recognition of the disruption

• The resolution of the conflict

• The restoration of equilibrium

• The introduction of the antagonist

Does the repair to the disruption always work by the time of the new Equilibrium? Is it always a happy ending?

• No

• Yes

• Only in fairy tales

• Only in tragedies

What does linear mean?

• Told in chronological order

• Told in reverse order

• Told with flashbacks

• Told in a non-sequential way

In 'Toy Story', what do the producers try and tell us about their ideology or the way they see the world?

• The importance of a happy, close-knit family unit

• The need for material possessions

• The inevitability of change

• The importance of competition