Mean girls- Vladimir Propp's Functions

Vladimir Propp constructed a theory that many stories, folktales and modern films all contain the same functions, he created a list of these functions. He also said that in every folktale and story there are the same characters involved, These characters are:

The Hero - who is seeking something
The Villain - who tries to stop the hero from achieving his goal
The Donor - who gives the Hero an item of power
The Helper - Who aids the Hero
The Princess - This could be a person or thing, which acts as an award for the hero
The Dispatcher - Who sends the hero on his Journey
The Father - Who rewards the Hero

1. ABSENTATION:.
2. INTERDICTION:
3. VIOLATION of INTERDICTION.
4. RECONNAISSANCE:
5. DELIVERY:
6. TRICKERY:
7. COMPLICITY: Victim taken in by deception,
8. VILLAINY and LACK: Villain causes harm/injury
9. MEDIATION: Misfortune or lack is made known,
10. BEGINNING COUNTER-ACTION: Seeker agrees to, or decides upon counter-action.
11. DEPARTURE: Hero leaves home;
12. FIRST FUNCTION OF THE DONOR: Hero is tested, interrogated, attacked etc, preparing the way for his/her receiving magical agent or helper (donor);
13. HERO'S REACTION: Hero reacts to actions of future donor (withstands/fails the test, frees captive, reconciles disputants, performs service, uses adversary's powers against him);
14. RECEIPT OF A MAGICAL AGENT: Hero acquires use of a magical agent (directly transferred, located, purchased, prepared, spontaneously appears, eaten/drunk, help offered by other characters);
15. GUIDANCE: Hero is transferred, delivered or led to whereabouts of an object of the search;
16. STRUGGLE: Hero and villain join in direct combat;
17. BRANDING: Hero is branded (wounded/marked, receives ring or scarf);
18. VICTORY: Villain is defeated (killed in combat, defeated in contest, killed while asleep, banished);
19. LIQUIDATION: Initial misfortune or lack is resolved (object of search distributed, spell broken, slain person revivied, captive freed);
20. RETURN: Hero returns;
21. PURSUIT: Hero is pursued (pursuer tries to kill, eat, undermine the hero);
22. RESCUE: Hero is rescued from pursuit (obstacles delay pursuer, hero hides or is hidden, hero transforms unrecognisably, hero saved from attempt on his/her life);
23. UNRECOGNIZED ARRIVAL: Hero unrecognized, arrives home or in another country;
24. UNFOUNDED CLAIMS: False hero presents unfounded claims;
25. DIFFICULT TASK: Difficult task proposed to the hero (trial by ordeal, riddles, test of strength/endurance, other tasks);
26. SOLUTION: Task is resolved;
27. RECOGNITION: Hero is recognized (by mark, brand, or thing given to him/her);
28. EXPOSURE: False hero or villain is exposed;
29. TRANSFIGURATIONPUNISHMENT:
30. WEDDING: Hero marries and ascends the throne (is rewarded/promoted).


which of Vladimir Propp's functions does mean girls have?

1. member of family absents self from home/ hero is introduced - opening scene we are told of the life in india of the main character.

2. interdiction announced- Cady told not to be friends with the plastics

3. interdiction violated- Cady sits down with the plastics at lunch

4. villian tries to meet hero- Plastics invite Cady to join them for lunch

5. villian recieves information about hero- Regina finds out Cady likes aaron

6. villian attempts to decieve hero with trickery- Regina tels aaron she can't be with aaron, because its not allowed in the girl world.

7. Hero is decieved- Cady doesn't try to get with aaron.

8. Villian causes harm- Regina gets with aaron even though she knows Cady likes him.

10. hero decides on counteraction- Cady decides o get her own abck on regina with lizzy and damien

12. Hero prepares for event- Cady looks for any oppurtunity to play with regina. foot cream, weight gain bars.

16. hero and villian in direct combat- Cady gives her nutrition bars to eat, and cuts up her clothes.

19. the object of the quest is obatained- Cady manages to make Reina fat, and she loses opularity.

21. hero is persued- Regina tries to get her own back by blaming the 'Burn Book' on Cady.

24. false hero clains succes of true hero- Regina claims she is veru upset and hur by the things said in the book.

25. Difficult task is set- Cady has to try and get her friends back.

26. Task resolved by true hero- Cady breaks apart Prom Queen crown at prom and shares it with everyone.

27. true hero recogniced- people start to like Cady again.

28. False hero exposed- people are not scared of regina anymore.

29. hero given new appearence- Cady is now a lovely girl that gets on well with every social group at her school.

Critic of Vladimir Propp's theory

The film Mean Girls, which should portray all of these functions only portrays 19 of 31. this emans that a third of the functions that should be i every story line are not shown in this film. This is the first major problem with the theory. However the theory has done well to have 19 different functions included in this modern day film, this theory was made years ago and it is a theory for every story-line so for the majority of functions to be shown in Mean Girls is a succes as it is evidence that the theory will work across a wide variety of different aged films and different genres.

Where does it go wrong?

the main parts of the film where this failed is the assumption that hero has to leave home or go on an adventure, in Mean girls there is a mition set, which is to get revenge on Regina but she doesnt leave home however as she is never aactually part of a social group in the first place, so she is not out of her comfort zone. Snother area where this theory failed is the last two functions, in Mean girls the villian is actually punished, we don't see her losing all her friends and being miserable, we see her thrithing in the La'Cross team with all her team mates as friends. Also Cady at the end of the film isnt the new ruler of the school, she takes a back seat and is just like the rest of the school, on an equal ground to them, so the ascending of the throne function doesn't work.