Propp's Functions of Folktales: Difference between revisions

{{tropeUseful Notes}}

Russian formalist Vladimir Propp, in his book ''Morphology of the Folk Tale,'' described in rather abstract terms a set of recurring plot devices that he found in a certain genre of Russian folk tales. Not all of them are there and they don't all happen in the same order in the stories he studied, but they are a large part of how we recognize a text as a fairy tale; although sometimes you have to smush the tropes to make them fit right. This was probably one of the first critical trope-spottings.

Propp's very popular work was important for two related structuralist ideas: that all fictional works have basically the same structure underneath, and that a story can be creted by instantiating a sequence of abstract plot elements.

The typical sequence of functions is:

* 0: [[Arcadia|The Initial]] [[Backstory|Situation]] - The setup.

* 3: [[Don't Touch It, You Idiot!|Violation]] - Someone breaks the big rule. This could be good or bad as seen by the examples above.

* 4: [[The Spymaster|Reconnaissance]] - The villain spies on the hero or the [[Knowledge Broker|hero learns about the villain.]]

* 5: Delivery - The searching party discovers information.

* 6: [[Devil in Plain Sight|Trickery]] - Villain tricks hero.

* 7: [[Deal Withwith the Devil|Complicity]] - The hero is forced, tricked or influenced by magic to do something bad. There are bad consequences.

* 8: [[Villains|Villainy]] - Baddy McBadson does something really evil, normally stealing the [[MacGuffin]] or kidnapping the princess.

* 9: Meditation - The goodies figure out a plan and get ready to set out on their quest.

* 10: Beginning counteraction - The heroes choose to fight back.

* 12: First function of donor - The hero run into a donor or a magic dude. This character can be [[Mentor Archetype|The Obi-Wan]], [[Oracular Urchin|a mysterious beggar]] or a [[Threshold Guardians|"None Shall Pass"]] kind of character. They may have to [[Secret Test of Character|pass a test]]. The hero may have to fight the donor. But on the bright side, the donor may have a magical object to help them on their quest.

* 13: Protagonist reaction - The hero outsmarts, outfights or finds a way around the donor's demands. He gets the [[MacGuffin]].

* 14: [[Mentors|Acquisition of Magical Agent]] - The obi-wan type character. Can be the donor. This character helps the hero on his quest, sometimes willingly, sometimes not.

* 15: [[Belly of the Whale|Transference]] - The hero is taken to a new place. Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually. Grammatically.

* 16: [[Earn Your Happy Ending|Struggle]] - Our hero (surprisingly) struggles.

* 17: Branding - Our hero for his efforts is marked out as a hero either with a token or with a [[Achey Scars|mark on his body]].

* 18: Victory - The hero beats the villain with his wits, his special abilities or his brawn.

* 19: [[Gondor Calls for Aid|Liquidation]] - The goodies all help the hero, and get what they were after.

* 20: [[Where It All Began|The Return]] - Guess.

* 21: [[Chase Scene|Pursuit]] - The heroes are chased by the villain, who is going all [[One-Winged Angel]] on them.

* 23: [[Never Accepted in His Hometown|Unrecognised]] - The hero comes home and no one knows who he is because...

* 24: [[Fake Ultimate Hero|Unfounded Claims]] - Some El Captiano-Zapp Brannigan-Gilderoy Lockhart character claims he saved the day.

* 25: [[Impossible Task|Difficult Task]] - To prove he's the Hero the Hero must, well prove himself. It can be an ordeal of choice, a riddle or a test of strength.

* 26: Solution - The Hero chooses right/guesses right/wins the fight.

* 27: [[The Reveal|Recognition]] - Everyone realises that the hero is the hero through his special mark, the fact they got the right solution or through simple recognition.

* 28: [[Feet of Clay|Exposure]] - The false hero is shown up.

* 29: [[Rags to Royalty|Transfiguration]] - The hero gets a makeover. Or at least new clothes or a palace.

* 30: [[Deader Than Dead|Punish]][[Fate Worse Than Death|ment]] - False Hero and Villain (and yes, they can be the same guy) get what's coming to them.

* 31: [[Happily Ever After|The Wedding]] - Usually [[Standard Hero Reward|the hero marries the princess]] or something like that, but the wedding can just be a general celebration from getting crowned to a party.

These are found in many folk tales, such as "[[Cinderella (Literaturenovel)|Cinderella]]" and "[[Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (Literaturenovel)|Snow White]]", but also in more modern works like ''[[Labyrinth (Film)|Labyrinth]]'', ''[[The Lord of the Rings (Literature)|The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[Star Wars (Franchise)|Star Wars]]'' and ''[[PansPan's Labyrinth (Film)|Pans Labyrinth]]''. There are also elements of these devices found in even more ancient texts such as ''[[The Odyssey (Literature)|The Odyssey]]''. See also [[The Hero's Journey]].

[[Category:Propps Functions Ofof Folktales]]

[[Category:Books on Trope]]