Applying Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale in Nicholas Spark

According to narratologists, Vladimir Propp’s “Morphology of the Folktale” is generally recognized as one of the most inspiring contributions to “the understanding of plot structure” (Sundari, 2014, p.1). Therefore, Propp’s theory was initially found to analyze Russian folktales. However, some researchers apply it to fairytales, such as Sundari (2014), who used it in “Sleeping Beauty," and Nursantia (2003), who used it in Joseph Conrad’s novel “Heart of Darkness." Salmah (2004) applied Propp's theory to Charles Dickens’s “Our Mutual Friend" in his thesis. Thus, the lack of using Propp's “Morphology of the Folktale” in studying novels in general and modern fiction in specific inspires the researcher to fill this gap in the study by using Vladimir Propp’s “Morphology of the Folktale” on the contemporary novels.