Story structure: Why so many stories follow the same pattern
- Robin Bower
- Dec 14, 2014
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 19
Everyone loves a good story. Whether it’s a shaggy dog story over a campfire, a joke at a dinner party, a poem, a song, or a memoir, we all have a story to tell. This has been happening for centuries. Many Indigenous cultures especially have a strong oral tradition. But what makes a good story? We all know it must have a beginning, a middle and an end, but there must also be a hero, a villain, a goal and a struggle. In fact, don’t these elements make up all stories?
Story structure according to Vladimir Propp
Way back in 1928, Russian scholar Vladimir Propp analysed 100 Russian fairy tales and identified 31 recurring narrative functions, along with a set of broad character types.
These are Propp’s eight broad character types:
Hero
Helper
Villain
False hero
Donor
Dispatcher
Princess
Princess’s father
Not all stories contain all of these character types, and they are not necessarily these literal characters in modern stories. 'Princess' can also mean a soughtafter person, object or reward.
Let’s look at two famous stories to see if Propp’s structure and characters can be applied in a more modern setting. The stories are Star Wars and Shrek.
Hero
In Shrek
When Shrek's peaceful life is disrupted by Lord Farquaad's banishment of the fairy tale creatures to his swamp, Shrek sets out to get his swamp back and in the process, is sent to rescue Princess Fiona.
In Star Wars Luke Skywalker is thrown out of his ordinary life and into the struggle against the Empire, eventually setting out with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo and Chewbacca to rescue Princess Leia.
Villain
In Shrek
Lord Farquaad cast out the fairytale creatures to Shrek’s swamp. He sends Shrek to rescue Princess Fiona from the castle and as a reward, he will give Shrek his swamp back exactly how it was.
In Star Wars
Darth Vader kills Luke’s uncle and aunt and leaves him without a family.
Princess
In Shrek
Princess Fiona is saved by Shrek from the castle. She believes he is her prince for saving her, but he tells her that Lord Farquaad will be her prince. She finds out that Shrek is an ogre.
In Star Wars
Princess Leia is rescued by Luke but as they turn out to be siblings, she ends up with Han Solo.
Helper
In Shrek
Donkey accompanies Shrek on his journey and helps him rescue Princess Fiona.
In Star Wars
Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2 assist Luke in his quest and the rescue of Princess Leia.
Donor
In Shrek
This is not a person but a magical dragon that helps stop the wedding of Lord Farquaad and Fiona when Shrek realises he loves her. He then finds out that she is an ogre too.
In Star Wars
Obi-Wan gives Luke the lightsaber, connecting him to the force and confirming him as a Jedi warrior.
False hero
In Shrek
Lord Farquaad is also the false hero because he earned the princess even though he had to get Shrek to complete the mission and save her from the castle. However, Shrek and Fiona end up in love.
In Star Wars
Han Solo assumes the role of the hero but is unable to complete the mission.
Although the stories of Shrek and Star Wars seem very different on first appearance, they have very similar character types and follow the same story arc which was discovered by Vladimir Propp in 1928.
What can writers learn from story structure?
Knowing these character types can help writers develop their own characters and understand the roles they play within a story. When you get stuck with a character, it can help to identify their role and compare it with familiar story patterns and character functions.
The beauty of the Propp identification of story structure is that writers can draw on these familiar patterns and still end up with very different stories.
Oh those Russians.
Need help putting your story together? Read How to write a first draft: From idea to self-editing.
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