Fairy Tale Narrative in the Media Environment: Structure and Functions (on the Example of Motivating YouTube Content)

Pavlov Dmitrii Nikolaevich Postgraduate Student, Department of History of Journalism and Literature, Moscow University named after A.S. Griboyedov 111024, Russia, Central Federal District, Moscow, Sh. Enthusiastov str., 21 dima2011211@gmail.com Other publications by this author

The article is devoted to a comprehensive study of the narrative component of motivating content (hereinafter MK) presented on the You-Tube platform. Motivating content was not distinguished as a separate research unit, while the exceptional popularity of such materials and their structural and functional uniqueness indicates the possibility of academic analysis. It should be noted that this study examines three You-Tube channels, to which more than two million people have subscribed, they are indicated in the analytical part.

The main functional feature of the MC is that it performs a psychological and therapeutic function. In other words, bloggers create MC to help resolve a personal psychological crisis, temporarily replacing a real psychologist ^{[1, p. 14]}.

The structural specificity of the MK, which is derived from its function, lies in its specific narrative-plot organization. According to our assumption, the materials related to this type of content reanimate the narrative archetypes of a fairy tale. The use of fairy-tale narratives in the framework of the MC, in our opinion, is explained by the relative simplicity of the fairy-tale plot, which turns out to be a kind of action scenario for solving crisis situations ^{[2, p. 34]}.

The connection between the structure of the narrative and the psychological function itself is an interesting object of interdisciplinary research (cf., for example, such a direction in psychology as "fairy tale therapy" ^{[3; 4]}. However, in this paper we will focus only on the structural aspect of this type of materials.  

Hence the subject of the study – the principles of narrative organization in the videos belonging to the category of MK.

The object of the study was four videos posted on 3 channels for the Russian-speaking public. The choice of these particular videos is associated with a high degree of their representativeness. Thus, the number of comments on these videos indirectly indicates a serious emotional response to the topics covered.  At the same time, it should be noted that the narratives chosen by the author evoke both positive and negative emotions affecting human problems (approx. the first video clip).

The methodological basis of the research was the theory of V.Y. Propp, who examined the literary work through a morphological prism and identified invariant schemes of the organization of fairy-tale narration ^{[5, p. 19]}. Let's list the invariant functions isolated by V.Ya. Propp on the fabulous material:

Absence, prohibition, violation of prohibition, intelligence of the antagonist, giving out information, trick, complicity, sabotage (shortage), mediation, incipient opposition, sending, the first function of the donor, the hero's reaction to the actions of the future donor, receiving a magic remedy, moving to another kingdom, struggle, branding, victory, elimination of trouble or shortage, return, pursuit, rescue, unrecognized arrival, unreasonable claims, difficult task, solution, recognition, denunciation, transfiguration, punishment, wedding, accession.

Bloggers do not use all functions to plot a story, the reasons for "choosing" certain functions seem to depend on the purpose of the video ^{[6, p. 4]}.

Let's turn to the analysis of the material.

The first channel considered in the framework of this study is called "Evan Carmichael" (987,000 subscribers). The blogger studies personal crises, the subject of which is related to the search for oneself. Evan (the owner of the channel) is not only the author of the content, but also a participant in the filming. The man acts as one of the storytellers of the story.

One of his videos is called "So I Came up with Harry Potter" | J.K. Rowling "Rules of Success" ^[7].

After studying each part of the video, we came to the conclusion that the entire MK has both an invariant and a variant structure ^{[8, p. 3]} The options are characters, personality crises, ways to solve problems on the way to success. The invariants are narrative schemes that go back to a fairy tale. Let us consider in this aspect the compositional structure of the roller ^{[9, p. 286]}.

- Failure helps you to know yourself – the first chapter of the story contains the following invariant motives: "Prohibition" and "Violation of prohibition". We learn about the beginning of the story of J.K. Rowling. She faces misunderstanding in the family. The woman wants to escape: "Returning here (to the memories of that time) is a meeting with the ghosts of the past… This part of the story has already been worn to holes, but it was my life, and it was very hard, I couldn't breathe calmly, but if anything happened, I would come back here, this would be my starting position." The very situation of "violation of the ban" is expressed in the words of the writer about how she escaped: "I left this place because I wanted to write. I remember riding the train from Manchester to London, and I had an epiphany. How eager I was to write about it, I got off the train and immediately rushed to write."We learn that the writer had an unsuccessful attempt to build a family.

Joan ran away, she prioritized her own dream. The woman says, "Realizing that trials have made you stronger and wiser means that you can be confident in your ability to survive."- Bring your ideas to life – the second chapter of the story.

Invariants that have been discovered:

"The catch." This is confirmed by a quote from the video: "Once, when I was walking out of a cafe, and suddenly it occurred to me that someone's voice said that the most difficult thing would be to get this book published (the first book in the Harry Potter series), if it is published, you will have a big success.""Wrecking".

Evan Carmichael talks about how Rowling tried to bring her ideas to life, but she failed. The antagonist of the work is a society that does not believe in man. In the video, we see that Joan begins to work on her own work "I wanted to write, I wrote a book, and I wrote it. The most terrible thing that could happen after that is that no one accepted it, my book was rejected everywhere, literally all the publishers to whom I offered it."

- Don't be afraid of criticism; and remember where you started from – the third and fourth chapters of the video, which contain the following invariant constructions: "Sending", "The hero's reaction to the actions of the future donor". Here the viewer is told about what active actions J. K. Rowling took to promote the manuscript.

The invariant "Sending" is expressed in the words of the writer: "You have to persevere, a writing career is hard, but the reward is much greater. I understood that it would not be possible to make money only on stories for children, so I am grateful to fate for what started happening to me, I worked." "Reaction to the actions of the future donor":

"I am grateful to the people around me, they helped me along the way, but your relationship should be tested by time. You will never know how strong your relationship with your friends is until you go through all sorts of adversity."  - Believe and do not give in to anxiety – the culminating part of the work, in which we found the following invariants:

"Getting a magic remedy" is expressed in the quote: "I called it a flash of the gift of clairvoyance, of course, if everything hadn't come true, then I would have looked crazy… The whole point is that you need to believe. I've never been a confident person, but I was sure of what I was doing. I firmly believed that I could write a good book." "Moving to another realm" - "On the way to your goal, anxiety is always Present.

Every time I released a new book, expectations pressed on me. The more I gained popularity with my work, the more I plunged into this anxiety." "Struggle" - "A voice in my head said that if your book was published, then you would be a great success... The weight of expectations that weighed on me, I had to fight it.

But I competed with myself, they (expectations) did not crush me, it was amazing to experience it. Expectations shouldn't affect me."- Chapters "life is not a list of achievements", "persevere", "dreams can come true" – the denouement of media production, which includes such invariants as "Victory".

This invariant is expressed in the words of the writer: "My God, when I lived here, this place was a real dump. Oh, look, there are books about Harry Potter, an eerie feeling. Sometimes it seems to me that all this was a long time ago (the beginning of the path), and sometimes the question is - was it all in reality?""Transfiguration" and "Recognition" are combined into one block.

In the video, J.K. Rowling stands on stage in front of the audience and gives instructions: "Life is not subject to the control of anyone, and humility with this will help you survive all the worries." "This stage just needs to be passed until you find your talent" 

"Accession" - "I am often asked by young writers what advice I would give to those who want to become a writer. But I can only say what I did. You should read more, because only in this way will you be able to understand what is good and what is bad literature…And perseverance, you have to persevere, because a writing career is full of disappointments." Evan Carmichael shows that using the example of J.K. Rowling's behavior model, the viewer can achieve a successful result and eradicate their own problem.

Thus, it is obvious that a product is presented on the screen that meets all the signs of a fairy tale narrative.

Evan Carmichael's content is not only compositionally artistic, it is also deeply psychological, as evidenced by the emotional comments of the audience:

- "I cry with her, because no one accepts my book either... I know what she's been through."- "The phrase: "never tell children that it won't work…

That's what killed the writer in me...". - "Do not believe the words of your parents, you need to decide for yourself who you want to be."

Evan Carmichael works more with personal crises, which are aimed at finding oneself, fulfilling dreams, getting quick fame.

In fact, the blogger positions himself as a person who is able to solve a personal crisis with the help of his own content. This can be seen from the description in the section "about the channel": "Tips from the best entrepreneurs of our planet will help you find your success. Evan collects the best tips for entrepreneurs and submits them in a compact compiled form. If you need motivation for business, and for life in general, then we will help you find it." From the biography presented there, we understand that the man does not have a psychologist's education, but he is a successful entrepreneur.

The following video is also featured on Evan Carmichael's channel. It is called "Make Your Dreams Come True – Madonna - The Rules of Success" ^[10]. The man talks about the main character at the beginning of the video. The blogger also designates the 10 rules of the singer's success:

- Keep your boxing gloves ready. The story begins with the fact that the main character marks the beginning of her journey. The invariants "Breaking the ban" and "Absenteeism" are revealed in the quote: "I left Bay City, Michigan and moved to New York in 1977 to start a career as a dancer, you will face many problems along the way, so be prepared to put on boxing gloves."- Choose the untrodden path.

We were able to detect the invariants "Sending" and "Mediation". They are necessary in order to indicate the introduction of the main character into the action of the plot. Madonna talks about what she didn't want to repeat after other dancers. The girl chose her own style of staging numbers in order to be remembered. She says: "I'm tired of all these same-type numbers, where a singer is dancing in the foreground, and a corps de ballet is in the background. Boredom is mortal, I don't want to repeat myself. I will do something special, I will always choose an untrodden path, that's right."

- Control your ego. Invariants "Complicity" and "Sabotage". Quote from the video: "Our life is controlled by the ego, we obey it like slaves. Guilty on all counts, if I didn't have an ego, I wouldn't be sitting here, but at some point you need to understand that the ego is like your dog. Either you're on his leash, or you have it. Because it's starting to harm your life."- Communicate with talented people.

This part of the video is necessary in order to show the interaction of the main character with other characters.

"The first function of the giver" is revealed by the following quote: "I constantly communicate with talented people, you need to surround yourself with such people so that they help you move on." "Getting a magic remedy" - Madonna says that talented people not only help, but also train her so that she can become better: "I like to interact with talented people, use their techniques in my own work.

You get more inspiration." - Make your dreams come true.

This part of the video includes the invariant "Struggle". The celebrity tells about a case from life: "My strength, my achievements, my way to break through does not inspire other people. People do not accept and are afraid of it. We live in a society where this is regarded as a weakness. People are not only afraid to fight for their dreams, but they are also afraid of the people who do it. They try to bring other people's success down to their level in order to feel better, that's why fighting is so important."- Be a rebel.

Madonna talks about how negatively she was perceived by society while she was achieving her goals. The invariant "Branding" is confirmed by the quote of the main character: "I am a rebel, and this is typical of all rebels. I don't care what you think about me, but shocking should be smart. It's like turning over an apple cart in a store."- Find different sources of inspiration.

The invariant "Moving to another realm". This part of the video indicates the model of behavior in the work that Madonna uses to achieve goals: "I move into my head, it's like movies or music are playing in my head, it's like I'm watching actors and various scenes. I am influenced by different things, and I show interest in previously unknown things."- Express yourself.

This part of the video contains the invariant "Victory", which sums up the video. The main character succeeds: "It's pointless to want to be the best. Everyone has their own talent, I'm not saying that my brushstroke is better than yours. You need to always remain yourself and express yourself as your soul desires. This is my art, they accept me like this."- Enjoy your work, the "Accession" invariant.

"I'm looking for something new… I like to plant seeds and watch them germinate," Madonna says in one of her interviews. The singer after the "accession" becomes the one who can help other talented young artists.

- Try to conquer the world, the "Accession" invariant.

"I want to conquer the world," the singer says in the video. The behavior and actions of the main character helped her achieve significant results in her own career.

The empirical base of our research includes three channels, one of which is "MENs LIFE" (200 thousand subscribers). The direction of this channel is also indicated in the section with basic information: "People. Thoughts. Motivation. Success", "I recommend that you familiarize yourself with what successful people say. Watch and interview, draw conclusions, and in some statements you can find real benefit and revelation." There is no information about the author.

"Dwayne the Rock Johnson – this video will change your life – the strongest motivation and rules of life" ^[11] is a video that we have analyzed as part of a functional analysis of the narrative. An important difference from the previous videos is the lack of division of the material into chapters.

The plot tells about a man who gives motivating advice, talks about his own life. He talks about his own behavior model, and in the prologue he denotes the story that changed his life.

Narrative-invariant analysis includes the following chapters:

1.      Absence (Dwayne leaves his parents' house). "It always worked for me that I remembered the hard times." The actor says: "I was like you, I left my parents' house full of hope for a better life, I wanted to conquer the world, but all my plans failed, I tried so many times, violated my parents' prohibitions, but I achieved my goals."2.     

Complicity (The main character is arrested). "When we moved to Nashville, I had already been arrested several times. I didn't know how to get a foothold in this world, so I was looking for ways, sometimes not even the right ones."3.     

Wrecking (Dwayne's family is kicked off the island. The main feature is the loss of his home). "We are being expelled from my native island, I was 14 years old, we were forbidden to live there, we had nowhere to live at all, we had to flee without money, it was so hard for us."4.     

Incipient opposition (The man is ready to fight. He talks about the trials he had to go through after moving). "I started playing football, I liked it. Did I want to achieve good results? Yes, but fate had other plans."

5.      Sending (Dwayne leaves the family, he goes to the football competition). "I thought I would become a famous football player. I had great prospects in front of me, but there will always be people who are better than you."6. Wrestling (He talks about how his teammate takes his place) Dwayne says:

"He was transferred to the defense, although I was a good defender. He looked at me and said he would take my place. I smiled and laughed then, because I thought there was no one in the team better than me, I was omnipotent. We fought for this place, for my place, and he still took my place." 7. Branding (Because of this case, the main character is kicked out of the team).

"What do they do with losers? Clean up. I was kicked out of the team because my friend was better than me."8.     

Victory (Dwayne finds the strength to fight and becomes a media personality). He says: "There will always be haters, but why not, I like it, I need to work every day, there should be no end to it."9.     

Transfiguration and accession (External and internal changes of the hero). "Look at me, I get up every day at five o'clock in the morning to keep fit, I act in films, I participate in projects. I do what I love."Thus, we see that motivating content is a phenomenon that meets the narrative principles of a work of art.

The last channel that we investigated for narrative matrices is called "The Art of Charisma" (1.84 million subscribers). The author analyzes the behavior model of famous people. The spectrum of resolved personal crises is shifted to the sphere of interpersonal relations. We can confirm this with information from the "about the channel" section: "We will help you develop your charisma, become more confident in yourself and improve relationships with people."Charlie Hupert, the author of the channel, is also the creator of the Academy of the Art of Charisma.

He helps to gain a sense of psychological security, deals with people according to his own author's program.

One of the materials on his channel is called "Elon Musk: how to achieve 10 times more than others" ^[12] – a video in which the main character overcomes obstacles.

The blogger acts as a narrator only at the beginning of the video. He describes the main character in the prologue. The man then passes the word to Elon Musk, who begins the narration in the first person. The material is divided into chapters that contain fabulous invariants:

- talent and hard work.

The story begins with the childhood of the main character. He is presented as a gifted child. The story of childhood is supported by the phrase "resistance to falls", this resistance helps the main character to move on. The "Catch" invariant. Topics that Elon raises: the failure of the first three SpaceX rockets, public conflicts, debates. "We worked day and night, we had one computer, work every free minute. We celebrated as best we could. In order to move on, it is necessary to be able to influence people."- perseverance and vision.

We found the invariant "Incipient opposition" in the words of Ilon. The main character tells about the peculiarities of his own worldview. They help him cope with the failures that haunt him constantly. "There must be reasons to get up in the morning, life is not focused on solving problems," he says.

The "Wrecking" invariant. "Elon does not always achieve good results, the first stages in the work of SPACE X, which led to an explosion, which led to the loss of a lot of money, people let him down and sometimes did it out of spite." "I think that Tesla shares will fly into the pit. You don't choose between winners and losers, you always choose losers," says Elon's opponent on television.

The invariant "Struggle" in the video is presented in order to show the positive attitude to life of the main character. Elon Musk's model of behavior is that a man pursues a certain goal. "I am available around the clock, if you need to solve any problems, then call at least at 3 am, on Sunday," the man says about his activities.

- get out of your comfort zone and read. The main character reveals the secret of what changed him. He's talking about a cycle of favorite books. "This is the best thing I've read, these books are about the futurist creator" - the "Transformation" invariant.

The "Recognition" invariant helps to reveal the hero not only as a well-known personality, but also as a sympathetic person in the life of society. It reflects the message of Ilona Societies: "Traveling beyond the universe is an exciting and inspiring option, I want to help our planet and our world."Thus, MC is a social phenomenon.

MK helps a person by temporarily replacing psychological help ^{[13, p. 86]}.

The psychological significance of such content seems to be determined by the fairy-tale archetypes underlying the stories. The maximum generality of these "narrative matrices" and their rootedness in culture, on the one hand, allows a person to build a plan for his further actions in a certain way, projecting a model of the behavior of the main character on himself, and on the other hand, to increase the number of views of the videos of the "motivating" blogger. We believe that following such maximally generalized advice from a psychological point of view is not always justified, because the mass nature of motivating content does not imply solving the problem of only one person, however, the high popularity of such videos indicates that they nevertheless have an important social function.