Claude Levi-Stauss was a French anthropologist and ethnologist who was one of the central figures of the structuralist school of thought. He lived from 1908-2009. Structuralism is "the search for the underlying patterns of thought in all forms of human activity."
We can use his theory of binary opposition to analyse narratives by looking at the conflicts within them
What is binary opposition?
Binary opposition is the idea that a sign’s meaning is derived from its context.
We only understand language by using a system of opposition, the most extreme of which is binary opposition. For example; we cannot conceive of good if we do not understand evil.
• Levi-Strauss said that binary oppositions formed the basis of humanity’s understanding of reality.
• Stories unconsciously reflect the values, myths and beliefs of a culture and these are usually expressed in the form of oppositions in the text.
• Binary Opposition is obviously applicable to narrative because narrative works to resolve a conflict. There is an inherent opposition between a hero and a villain.
We can use his theory of binary opposition to analyse narratives by looking at the conflicts within them
What is binary opposition?
Binary opposition is the idea that a sign’s meaning is derived from its context.
We only understand language by using a system of opposition, the most extreme of which is binary opposition. For example; we cannot conceive of good if we do not understand evil.
• Levi-Strauss said that binary oppositions formed the basis of humanity’s understanding of reality.
• Stories unconsciously reflect the values, myths and beliefs of a culture and these are usually expressed in the form of oppositions in the text.
• Binary Opposition is obviously applicable to narrative because narrative works to resolve a conflict. There is an inherent opposition between a hero and a villain.
Binary opposition in media texts usually have a dominant side depending upon the nature of the text. Invariably the villain will be on the ‘bad’ side and will be dominated by the hero, on the ‘good’ side. This helps us identify the ideology of the text we are analysing.
Other narrative pages:
Introduction
Todorov and Narrative Structure
Ideology
Propp and Character Functions