The Theory Of Propp

Vladmir Propp (pictured right), was a Russian critic active in the 1920's, he published his Morphology of the Folk Tale in 1928, he was primarily interested in the narrative of folk tales, and believed that films and folk tales were similar in many aspects, they shared the same basic struggles and they appeared to have stock characters. He theorized that characters and actions are narrative functions, and that characters provide structure for the text. He believed that characters who performed functions were as follows:
- The Hero a character who seeks something.
- The Villain who opposes and tries to halt the hero's quest.
- The Donor who provides an object with superficial properties.
- The Dispatcher who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message.
- The False Hero who disrupts the hero's success by making false claims.
- The Helper who aids the hero.
- The Princess who is the reward for the hero and the object of the villain's plots.
- The Princess's Father who rewards the hero for his effort.
His theory has come under  scrutiny for several reasons, one his theory of narrative is based in a male orientated environment, so critics often dismiss the theory when referring to film. Although the theory can still be applied because the function (not gender), of the characters is the basis of the theory i.e The hero could be a women and the reward a man.
Also critics disagree with Propp's strict order of characters and events, which is constrictive, and it would be better to apply functions and events randomly as we meet new narratives.
Finally the critics point out that there is a more diverse range of characters that Propp has not listed.