Narrative

The difference between a story and narrative is:

• Story - account of events
• Narrative - the way the story is told

Narrative includes:

• Characters 
• Genre 
• Form 
• Time

Two Key Theorists in Narrative: 

 Todorov - came up with the idea that all stories go through the same process, this process being:

• Equilibrium
• Disruption 
• Recognition 
• Repair
• Equilibrium 

This simply states that it will start in a content manner where nothing has happened, but as it goes on the story will break down something will disrupt the contentment. From there on it will try to be repaired leading to getting the story back on track and back to contentment. Although the equilibrium after the disruption will never be the same as the first equilibrium. 

Propp -  He stated that all characters within a narrative could fit into 8 different character types: 

1. The Villian
2. The Hero/Victim 
3. The Donor
4. The Helper
5. The Princess or Prize
6. The Dispatcher
7. The False Hero 

The Lovely Bones

The story is told through a narrative voice that has a tendency to speak in the past tense. The narrative is not in chronological order and starts at the end therefore retelling the story of the main character Susie's murder.  The genre of this narrative is drama. The  narrative also condenses time as we see the search for the murder we are unaware this is actually spread over a couple of years. 

A key part of narrative is enigma and although we are aware of who the murderer is there is an enigma presented in the way that the"in- between" is presented. 

The Lovely Bones follows the narrative pattern of Todorov and also contains many of the Propp character types.

Narrative Structure 

Equilibrium - Normal family life

Disruption - Susie's murder

Recognition - The grief that hits the family causing the mother to go into a depression and abandon the family and the father to become obesessed with finding Susie's killer

Repair - The mother in law coming to stay to help the family over depression and mother returning to family

Equilibrium - More adjusted to life without Susie

Character types 

Villain / Fake Hero - Susie's murderer

The Helper - The mother in law

The Donor - Susie's friend in the "In between"

The Hero/Victim - Susie