Propps Narrative Theory

Propp's theory he came up with 8 characters that makes up the narrative within fairytales, these include:

1. The Hero - who seeks something usually to kill the villain or save the Princess
2. The Villain - blocks the heroes request
3. The Donor - provides an object with magical properties
4. The dispatcher - who sends the hero on the quest
5. The False Hero - disrupt the heroes success by making false claims
6. The Helper - who aids the hero
7. The Princess - acts as a reward for the hero and objects of the villains plots
8. The Princess' father - acts to reward he hero for his effort

This theory is seen to be as useful as it can be applied to many films for example in star wars - The Hero: Luke, The Villain: Darth Vader, The Princess: Princess Leia, The Donor: Obi Wan, The dispatcher: R2D2 etc. This is then useful as it defines the functtions of characters.