Semiotics and Propp's Narrative Theory
Learn how the media makes meaning. Meet semiotics (signs, denotation and connotation) and the character types Vladimir Propp found in stories, then use them to analyse media products.
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The language of the media 🎬
Every media product, from a film poster to a video game, is built to communicate meaning. **Media language** is the set of tools it uses to do that. This module covers two of the biggest ideas: **semiotics**, the study of signs and how they make meaning, and **narrative**, how a story is put together, including the character types identified by Vladimir Propp.
The language of signs 🔠
Semiotics is the study of signs. Start with these key terms:
Two layers of meaning ⚖️
Imagine a photograph of a red rose. It carries two layers of meaning at once:
What kind of sign? 🔍
A photograph of a lion closely resembles a real lion. What kind of sign is it?
- An icon
- A symbol
- A code
- Anchorage
Two ways a sign can work 🪧
Signs make meaning in different ways. An **icon** resembles what it stands for, like a photograph or a realistic drawing. A **symbol** has no natural likeness and works only because a culture agrees on its meaning, like a word, a national flag, or a red rose standing for love.
Match the term to its meaning 🔗
- Denotation
- Connotation
- Anchorage
- Code
- The literal meaning of a sign
- The suggested, cultural meaning of a sign
- Words that fix the meaning of an image
- A system of signs that a culture shares
True about signs? ✅
Select the TWO statements that are TRUE.
- Denotation is the literal meaning of a sign
- A symbol works by convention, not by resemblance
- Connotation is exactly the same in every culture
- An icon has no connection to what it represents
Propp character types 🦸
Vladimir Propp studied hundreds of folk tales and found the same character types appearing again and again. Media stories still use them:
Match the character to its role 🎭
- Hero
- Villain
- Donor
- Helper
- Seeks a goal and puts things right
- Opposes the hero and creates conflict
- Gives the hero something useful
- Supports the hero on the quest
Order the story 🪜
An interactive activity.
Complete the analysis 🧩
The _____ meaning of a sign is what is literally shown, while the _____ meaning is what it suggests. A sign that resembles what it represents is an _____. The hero is sent on the quest by the _____. A question set up to hook the audience is called an _____.
Spot the true statements 🖍️
An interactive activity.
Apply media language 🧭
An interactive activity.
Analyse a media product ✍️
An interactive activity.