Easy A Narrative
Door charlotte Bancroft
1. Prop's Character Types
1.1. Prop's Character Type theory is the theory that the narrative is driven by the characters. For example, the hero is the one who the story follows, the villain is the one who disrupts the story and the prize is given at the end of the story.
1.2. The following Characters in Easy A have their character types too. Olive is the hero who drives the narrative. The villain could also be classed as Olive because she brought her own downfall upon herself. Olive's prize is Woodchuck Todd, the helper could be Mr. Griffith as he offers advice to Olive
2. Todorvo's Equilibrium Theory
2.1. The Equilibrium Theory is the theory that all stories have 5 steps in the narrative. 1.) Equilibrium - everything is balanced and everything is fine. 2.) The disruption - something breaks the equilibrium. For example, the villain putting their plan into action. 3.) Recognising that the equilibrium has been broken - Usually the hero meets the villain. 4.) Repairing the equilibrium - This is when the hero fights back against the villain. 5.) Equilibrium again - everything is finally back to normal. It is not the same as before the equilibrium was broken but it is peaceful.
2.2. 1.) Equilibrium - Olive is happy. She has a great family, a best friend and a great education. 2.) The disruption - Olive "sleeps" with people. Over time her reputation drops. 3.) Olive realises that people are starting to think bad of her. She decided to take pride in this by wearing an A on her outfits. However, Olive realises all the girls hate her and they boys pretend to like her just so they can sleep with her. 4.) Olive gatecrashes the schools sport match and lies to everyone by telling them to watch her "sexy" online stream. 5.) Everyone watches the stream and Olive explains how she lied and never slept with anyone. She then climbs out the window to meet Woodchuck Todd.
3. Barthes' Action and Enigma Codes
3.1. An action code is an event that moves the narrative along.
3.1.1. An action code in Easy A can be anything. The most obvious one is Olive lying. If she didn't lie then the story would not be able to play the way it does
3.2. An Enigma Code is when the story causes the audience to question who, what and why. So basically it is a mystery that intrigues the audience and keeps them guessing.
3.2.1. There are lots of Enigma Code in Easy A. For example, a few could be "Who is she?" "Why is she lying?" "why doesn't she tell the truth?" or "why is she talking into a camera?" These questions are all answered. For example, we find out why Olive is talking to us through a camera because we discover that she is steaming online.