Todorov's 5-Part Narrative Formula

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED + WHAT I CAN APPLY

Todorov is a Bulgarian/French historian, literature critic, philosopher and sociologist. In 1996 he created a theory which he believed to be able to be applied to any film. He was convinced that all films followed the same narrative pattern.

The following where the 5 stages of his theory:

1. A state of equilibrium - where everything is as it should be
2. A disruption of the equilibrium through an event in the film
3. A recognition by the characters that there has been a disruption
4. An attempt to repair the disruption
5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium

This theory could be applied to a lot of movies. One of them would be the film 27 Dresses. This is a film with Katherine Heigl as main character.

In the opening scene of the movie she works as a wedding planner for fun. This is considered to be the equilibrium, since she is happy and likes what she is doing. She meets a young journalist known as Kevin who interviews her about her 27 bridal dresses. After having seen him for several times, she realises that he is in love with him. Despite the fact that she told him that she doesn't want the article to be published, it still becomes published and she does't want to see him again.

This is considered to be the disruption of the equilibrium.

He immediately recognises the disruption and attempts to repair the disruption by giving her a calendar planner. However, he leaves her be since she is still mad at him and tells him that she can't forgive him. Due to this, the reinstatement of the equilibrium doesn't happen in that scene but at the end of the movie when she realises that she does want to be together with him anyhow.