Tzvetan Todorov

Rukayyah Robun

Biography Todorov was born March 1st 1939. He is a Franco Bulgarian philosopher and wrote several books and essays on ‘literary theory’ , ‘thought history’ and ‘culture theory’. In total published 21 books and his historical interests include the Nazi Germany period and the conquest of The Amercias.

Todorov simplified the idea of narrative theory, all the while proposing a more complex interpretation of films with his theory of an Equilibrium , disequilibrium and a resolution. This was then narrowed down into five key stages :1. A state of equilibrium 2. A disruption of the equilibrium (disequilibrium)3. A recognition of the disorder that has occurred 4. An attempt to resolve the disruption caused 5. A repair of restoration resulting in a new equilibrium .These stages signify that narrative is not seen as a linear structure but instead a circular one, and that the narrative is driven by events to restore the equilibrium. Nevertheless, the equilibrium at the end of the narrative is not identical to the one at the start. Todorov argued that the narrative involves a transformation and that the characters or situations are altered through the progress of the disruption.

Main theories

As there were no films around in Aristotle’s time , his theory was in reference to plays and books . The classical unities or three unities are rules for drama derived from a passage in Aristotle’s poetics. These include:1. The unity of action2. The unity of place3. The unity of time

Aristotle’s unities

Initial Equilibrium- Mufasa is in power of the Pride Lands and is King of the lions. He is looked up to by all the animals.Disruption- Scar kills his brother, Mufasa.New Equilibrium- Mufasa's only son, Simba, is next in line. He is the new King of Pride Rock.Disruption- Scar blames Simba for the death of his father, and convinces him to run away and never return.New Equilibrium-Scar takes over the Pride Lands with the help of the hyenas. He neglects all the animals, who migrate from the area. The lions and hyenas are under his reign for years.Disruption-There are no more animals for the lions and hyenas to feed from, and the river has run dry. They will die if this is not fixed, so Nala the lioness (who is betrothed to marry Simba) goes to find help. She stumbles across Simba whilst hunting, who has made a new life living off bugs in the forest with his friends Timone and Pumbaa (a meerkat and a warthog) She tells Simba of Scar's reign back home, and Simba returns to the Pride Lands.Final Equilibrium- Simba overthrows Scar, who confesses it was him who killed Mufasa. Simba is willing to let Scar live if he leaves the Pride Lands, but Scar has other plans. In an attempt to kill Simba, he falls too his death and Simba is made the rightful King, and a final equilibrium is restored.

Applying the theory to The Lion King

Todorov’s theory has taught me that in terms of narrative structure there are different stages to which a story comes together. When it comes to my narrative I should more to focus on the end equilibrium and then I can decide what event changed the original to make it what it is at the end point . This way I can work from my end point rather than have an initial equilibrium and not know how to change it. Thus meaning my narrative will have alike Todorov suggests five different stages that will ultimately keep the audience engaged in discovering the final equilibrium.

How can this theory be applied to my production work ?

It is my contention, that Todorov’s theories do apply to most mainstream films. There is an element of all five stages in films because this allows the audience to be introduced to a setting and move along with the narrative of the film. Without this theory , it would be difficult for film makers to unfold their story and keep the viewers engaged into what will be the final resolution.

Personal response