Narrative Structure

Linear Narratives:

• Have a clear beginning, middle and end.
• They follow a chronological time-frame
• Action A leads to action B with leads to action C

Fragmented Narrative:

• Called non-linear, disrupted or disjointed narratives e.g. Joyce's family, Hopper and scientists.
• Don't have a clear beginning, middle and end.
• Events or actions may be shown out of chronological order and not in order they would naturally be shown in so C might happen before A.
• Its a narrative technique that can help show parallel stories, a story within a story, dreams and so on within the same episode or serial.
• They make the audience participate in the story to try and piece the story together.

Enigma Codes:

• Man in elevator is taken-why do't they care about the first character and what attacks him?
• Social worker shooting, who is she, why?
• Will Nancy get together with Steve?

The events in my episode occur in a fragmented order and chronological 

The flashback gives some context to Joyce and Will's disappearance. Hoppers past is known to us through the casual conversation between the lady and Mr Clark in the woods when we find out his daughter died when she was young. 

Restrictive Narrative 

• We experience the story through the senses and thoughts of just one character.
• Almost always the main character (protagonist)
• Narrative cannot tell the audience things the main character does not know, we find things out from the story the same times the character. (dramatic irony)

Omnipresent Narrative

• A panoramic all-seeing view of the world of the story, not just one characters point of view.
• Provides the point of view of many different characters and their experiences and feelings within the story. 
• Helps the audience see a broader background to the story, from a number of contexts. 
• Used for telling stories in which the contexts, views and feelings of many characters are important. 

The narrative type helps appeal to the audience by....

Narrative Endings

Closed Ending

Open Endings

• When an episode or season ends on a cliff-hanger 
• A story telling technique 
• Open endings make people want more because they want to find out what happens. 
• In LFTVD, open endings indicate there will be a continuation of the 'story' or possibly a resolution in the next episode. 
• Each episode of Stranger Things has an open ending making it more exciting for the audience.

TODOROV: Equilibrium Theory

• Traditional narratives follow a 3 part structure

1. Narratives begin with a state of equilibrium
2. Equilibrium is disrupted by an event to create a disequilibrium 
3. There is then recognition of the disruption by the central character
4. Central character goes on a quest to restore the disruption (search for Will/protecting 11)
5. Quest is successful, there is a happy ending and a return to normality or new equilibrium. (However, the first episode doesn't end with a normal equilibrium). 

• E.g. Benny's Disruption, Lift disruption, Joyce's disruption, Nancy didn't know she was going to end up with a disruption.
• To make the story interesting you have to have obstacles.

Strauss- Binary Oppositions

• He identified that we understand the world nay the relationships two have together. e.g. we understand bad behaviour by knowing what good behaviour should be
• He believed narratives are arranged around the conflict of binary oppositions
• Some oppositions could be:

Man vs Woman

Good vs Bad

Day vs Night

Old vs New

Right Vs Wrong

Justice Vs Injustice (government are injustice- we are normally supposed to trust the government)

In stranger things, the conflict between the oppositions help to drive the narrative structure forward....