Another important theory when thinking about narrative structures comes from the work of French anthropologist, Claude Levi-Strauss. He took Propp’s theory one stage further by suggesting that narratives are provided with motivation to move from one point to the next by repeated establishing of actual or potential conflict. We experience narratives and we derive meaning from relationships between the elements. He thought that film narratives contain elements which can be paired according to how they oppose each other. For example: during the opening shots of Jurassic Park (Steven Spielberg 1993) we can seethe following ‘pairs’:
Movement/stillness Light/dark Clear shots of men/obscured shots something unidentified Human beings/machines Control/panic
Machine v Monster These opposing pairs provide motivation for the story to develop, as the elements act upon each other and conflict is the result. The way in which characters try to resolve these conflicts creates the narrative. Levi-Strausscalled these ‘pairs’ binary opposites. The structuralist method involves the following steps: 1. Find the binary oppositions with which the text is organised using typical codes and conventions, for example, male/female; rich/poor; dominant/oppressed; black/white etc. 2. Criticise or undo the invidious structure of these oppositions in that in any of these oppositions there is a preferred term. Revising the terms is an excellent strategy. 3. Reconstruct a new meaning. To be engaged in this structuralist activity is to be aware of ideology and the operations of power in society and out of ‘false consciousness.’ The activity can be unsettling by disturbing traditional common-sensemodes of responding to create new ways of responding. ****** ** * * *ACT IV I T Y Claude Levi- Strauss When watching the beginning of Star Wars note down any pairs of oppositions which occur. Remember to consider the soundtrack as well as what you see.