Heroic Quests, Magical Helpers and Obstacles: An Exploration of Archetypal Patterns and Traditional Narrative in Modern Day Fairy Tales.

Abstract

The book by Vladimir Propp, titled ‘Morphology of Folktale,’ discusses thirty-one narrative functions claimed to be present in every fairy tale. Propp’s seminal work on Russian folktales provides a comprehensive framework to analyze and unveil the underlying narrative structural patterns and functions which shape and connect present-day fairy tales with traditional folklore. The present research employs Propp’s Narrative Theory (1968) as lens to explore the narrative structures of ‘Frozen’ (2013) and ‘Brave’ (2012), two renowned Disney animated movies. The study focuses on the plot of both movies to investigate the narrative functions present in their original form and the ways in which they are modified and adapted. The findings conclude that majority of functions remain same as they were propagated by Propp; however, the changes observed in the functions were based on role-switch, strained and weekend family relations, and questioning traditional expectations of marriage. This article, through identifying recurring functions performed by dramatis personae, reveals the fundamental narrative components. These contribute to the developing of each plot, that is, protagonists’ quests, journeys, interactions and transformations in both films. To serve the purpose, the researcher has made use of qualitative approach. Secondly, a table of thirty-one narrative functions is constructed and filled up for both the movies which were watched 2-3 times. Similar to Propp, the analyst has adopted a syntagmatic approach to observe the degree to which these functions are still there in contemporary fairy tale movies. Lastly, this study would be beneficial for all those who want to conduct study in the fields of Fairy Tales, Structuralism and Narratology.