Università Roma Tre

PART ONE: NARRATION CONTENTS

I. Archetypes.

The stories that have always been told. The identification of narrative persistence in search of the lowest common denominator in the art of storytelling. The significant narrative structure identity between storytelling, screenwriting and filming. The definition of archetype as a basic part of any story.

A. The myth of the golden age (explanation of how the absence of conflict does not lead to storytelling. Clear example: "The lion will sleep with the lamb." The story age, in Greek mythology, begins with the end of the Golden Age. In Christianity, with the banishment from the Garden of Eden)

B. Jason and the Argonauts: the journey to retake the golden age (Jason seeking the Golden Fleece; by possessing it he can claim the throne of Iolcus, usurped by his father Aeson: the birth of the epic narration coincides with the story of a journey for the conquest of a precious element of social and civil growth. Similarities with the myth of the Round Table and the quest for the Grail).
• Introduction to the idea of McGuffin, the "stakes" in American movies
Introduction to the idea of a hero's journey: the adventure in the strict sense of the word, which has as its purpose the restoration of harmony or the establishment of a new harmony:

C. Aeneas and the journey towards the unknown in order to build a new world (the old balance, Troy, is lost. The journey towards the unknown to build a new city as a mark of civilization and universal order: Rome)

D. Orpheus and his descent to the underworld (the hero defies the opponent who threatened and modified the balance: Orpheus descends to the underworld to tear his beloved Eurydice from Hades.)
• Introduction to the concept of "point of death"

E. Ulysses and the Nostos: the homecoming hero (destroying the opponent does not automatically recover the ancient balance. The hero must purify through the adventure to gain a return).
• Introduction to the idea of the unavoidable growth of the protagonist.

II. The story structure.

The story refers to models that are repeated unchanged over the centuries. The Fairy Tale morphology according to Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp.
A. The protagonist, the opponent, the mission and the trigger.
B. The call to adventure.
C. The hero's journey.
D. Restoration of the Golden Age.

Persistence and analogies between mythology, fairy tales and cinematic storytelling.