BA3 - CS - Propp's Theory

Propp’s theory in ‘Hauron and the Sea of Stories’

Propp’s theory about ‘spheres of action’ includes that in every folktale there is a list of roles to fill and every story has them. As an example, every story has a hero and for there to be a hero there always needs to be a villain. The different roles can appear in different forms but they are always there, according to Propp’s theory. In ´Hauron and the sea of stories´ we also encounter all of these roles. We of course have Hauron himself who is the Hero character, who encounters several helpers throughout his adventures like the plentimaw fish Goopy and Mudra the shadow warrior. Iff the water genie would be considered as a donor, not because the connector he dropped but because he gave Hauron the wish water. For me, the princess in this story is Hauron’s mother and not princess Batcheat. This is because in the beginning of the adventure she runs off with another man, to later in the end return to their family. This reminds me of the classic princess tales where the princess get’s kidnapped to later be saved by the hero.

Picture that explains Propp's Theory

The character I have chosen to re-design is the Walrus, the head of P2C2E. I would place him as a “Donor” in the spheres of action. Because at the end of the story he gives Hauron a happy ending and brings back his mother. He could also be considered as a Hero because how he brings back the “Princess” character which is Hauron’s mother back into his life.

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Picture from: http://image.slidesharecdn.com/medianarrativeproppandtodorov-100607085507-phpapp02/95/media-narrative-propp-and-todorov-8-728.jpg?cb=1275900971