Propp's character theory

Propp created a character theory which every fairy tale includes in order to drive the narrative forward. Propp looked at each character's role in the narrative and why they were needed for the storyline.

1. Hero - the main protagonist who drives the narrative forward. they will have a form of a mission to undertake in return for a reward/princess. 
2. Villain - the opposition to the hero seeking to stop them succeeding in their mission by posing a threat. They are presented as greedy wanting riches glory power and sometimes the princess for themselves. 
3. (Magical) Helper - accompanies the hero for some or most of the quest and can sometimes help, but cannot themselves complete the quest.
4. Donor/mentor - gives the hero important information in the quest. they are often represented as wise or having magical powers, but can't do the quest without the hero.
5. Dispatcher - sends hero on the quest
6. Princess' father/blocker - tries to prevent the hero completing the least part of the quest
7. Princess/reward - acts as a reward for the hero succeeding in the quest. in older more stereotypical narratives the heroine is s passive princess and female. In modern narratives the heroine can be more feisty

Critisicims of Propp's theory are that he ignores character tone and mood which differentiates from one tale to another.
Levi Strauss took a structuralist approach to  seeking meaning and critisized propp