Todorov's Theory

Narrative Theory of Equilibrium

Todorov's theory essentially states that every narrative has distinct parts that can be classified as equilibrium, disequilibrium, and new equilibrium. He stated that this approach could apply to any story and called it narratology. These three parts work together to bring the story together and eventually to it's end. These three parts are distinct in the story to help separate the different points of the plot. 

Equilibrium 

The first part of Todorov's theory is equilibrium. This is basically the beginning of the story. The characters are introduced and their "normal" world is portrayed to later be altered by the events of the story. 

Disequilibrium

The "problem" or "incident" would occur during this point, something that is disrupting the character's and their world. Their actions before the climax of the story would also fall under this part of the story because they are acting on realization that something isn't right. This is the point where character development or transformation occurs to reveal the message of the narrative. 

New Equilibrium

The characters return to the state of "normal" they had before or a slightly changed version of that "normal." This would be after the climax when the problem or incident is fixed. 

Film Opening

For our film opening we would like to incorporate some aspects of this theory with the limited amount of time we have. While we will be introducing our audience to the main problem of the narrative, the characters aren't yet aware, however will be introduced. The state that the film opens with will change drastically by what the characters learn and understand about the problem, so their "normal" world will be disrupted following the events of our opening. 

References

                “Todorov – Narrative / Narratology Theory.” Media Studies @ Guilsborough Academy, 11 Nov. 2020, guilsboroughschoolmedia.wordpress.com/2020/11/11/todorov-narrative-narratology-theory/.

                            Media Studies. “Todorov’s Narrative Theory of Equilibrium and                             Disruption.” Media Studies, 1 Oct. 2020, media-studies.com/todorov/.