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
Put the stages of a typical narrative into the usual order.
- Exposition: the normal world is set up
- Disruption: something upsets the balance
- Complication: the problems build up
- Climax: the peak of the tension
- Resolution: the story is settled
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 _____.
Signs and story theory
Tap the TWO statements that are TRUE.
- Connotation is the cultural or suggested meaning of a sign.
- Vladimir Propp identified recurring character types such as the hero and the villain.
- Denotation is the hidden, symbolic meaning of a sign.
- A false hero is the character who helps the hero the most.
- Anchorage is a type of camera shot.
Apply media language
Apply the ideas of media language to each example.
- A film poster shows a photograph of the lead actor. As a sign, that photograph mainly works by...
- In a story, a wise old man gives the hero a magic sword before the journey. In Propp terms, he is the...
- A trailer ends by asking: who will survive? This unanswered question is an example of...
Analyse a media product
Choose a media product you know, such as a film, an advert or a game, and analyse it using the ideas in this module. This is written in English and is not auto-marked.
- Describe the denotation and the connotation of one image or moment
- Identify one sign as an icon or a symbol, and say why
- Identify one Propp character type in the story
- Explain one enigma the product uses to hook its audience