“Khoj” Vol. 87, July-December.

2021 1

* Afshan Abbas
** Dr. Fouzia Janjua

Propositions and Sequence in “The Heer Ranjha”:

An Application of Todorov’s Theory of Narratology

Abstract:
The present study aims at analyzing the
propositions and sequences in the folk tale Heer
Ranjha. For this Purpose, Todorov’s theory of
narratology is employed with a focus on verbal and
syntactic choices. The verbal and syntactic choices
depict the themes of the folk tale. Todorov’s five
stages of narrative theory: Equilibrium, Disruption of
Equilibrium, Recognition of Disruption, an attempt to
repair the damage, and New Equilibrium will be
applied to the present text to analyze how by following
five stages, the folk tale of ‘Heer Ranjha’ progresses
and what fantastic elements could be found that make
readers understand or take it as the folk literature. The
linguistic choices are significant in terms of sequence
and propositions. The study is also aims at providing
the comprehensive view and application of the
Todorov’s theory of narratology. The data comprises
on the translation of ‘Heer Ranjha’ by Usborne (1973).
The study focuses on the language of the folk tale,
which helps the readers to understand the social and
cultural norms of Punjab.
Key Words: Propositions, sequences, Heer Ranjha,
Todorov’s theory of narratology, verbal & Syntactic
choices.
Introduction:
Folktales offer a wonderful resource for highlighting
traditional socio-cultural values. While, folktales have the capacity
to enrich the past but their linkage with the present becomes more
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rewarding to understand the societal behavior persistent to the

norms. For instance, when Ranjha accepts the job he develops a
social link with Heer family and the developing links with Heer
family also highlights the socio-economic norms of the Punjab.
The terms and circumstances of his employment are
dictated by Heer. The protagonist, Ranjha, accepts the shackles as
a social norm. That depicts the gender roles which presents women
as more dynamic than males. The socio-cultural frameworks
justify the significant substance of this romantic folk tale. The
main characters of Heer and Ranjha, are revolutionary characters
to the conventional roles of the society. Through their numerous
reproductions and retellings, folk tales such as Sassi-Punno, Laila
Majnu, Shiren-Farhad to name only a few have become widely
cherished in the Subcontinent where, the river Chenab (flowing
through the soils of Punjab for centuries) it’s furious waves narrate
the songs of love and affection, and Heer-Ranjha is one of them. It
is partly true and fictional. This story has many narrative versions,
but the one that has remained most popular throughout the times is
Waris Shah’s poetic epic, which was written in 1766. This is the
story of Heer and Ranjha, two legendary lovers. In which the main
protagonist is Ranjha, who is forced to quit his ancestral home and
village due to his envious sisters-in-law's cruel treatment, and how
he falls in love with Heer.
The present study focuses on the Narratological Analysis of
a short story “Heer Ranjha” through the Todorov’s theory of
Narratology. The narrative pattern proposed by Tzvetan Todorov is
a way to understand the underlying meaning behind a story.
Narratology is, etymologically, the science of narrative.
Narratology focuses on the narrative which involves the
narrative forms of representation. The present study
highlights the semiotic and syntactic patterns of the selected
folk tale. The main emphasis of the present study is on practical
explorations of folk tale ‘Heer Ranjha’ in the light of Todorov’s
theory.
“Khoj” Vol. 87, July-December. 2021 3

Literature Review:
A number of writers and researchers have explored the
theme of love and affection in the folk tales based on the particular
patterns of the folk tales.
Butler (2007) employed the feminist study of folk tales
which aimed at analyzing socio-cultural and political norms of the
society for women while rejecting the traditional notions of
feminism and gender. She opposes binary classifications such as
men and women, defining gender as a variable attribute that shifts
and changes depending on the roles one takes on. Gender
difference, according to Tannen (1994), is an expository
experience that enhances emotional connection. According to her
findings, men are more indirect due to weakness or a lack of
confidence, whereas women are more direct. Lazar (2007)
conducted a critical discourse analysis, looking at gender, power,
and ideology in discourse through the lens of inequality and how it
exists in society.
Institutional, cultural, and geographic circumstances are all
diverse. Aside from that, she regarded gender as a factor. Men and
women are divided into two classes by an ideological structure that
is centered on gender on the subject of dominance and
subordination.
Bachtarzi (2010) examines human relationships in
Lawrence's "Sons and Lovers" to document her findings by
contextualizing each character in regard to the causes of failure in
human relationships through the eyes of the Oedipus complex,
with respect to the other characters. Foghel (2013) investigates the
concept of love in Shakespeare's Hamlet, questioning how
Shakespeare not only exemplified but also brilliantly replicated
repeating patterns of love.
Language is an ideal medium and tool for the
representation of love. Words cannot be considered
decontextualized lexical elements, but they do give context for
other lexical items. Assessing the worth of any text and attempting
to grasp the truth established by language narratological analysis is
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a significant tool. The linguistic choices, according to Mills (1995),

are used to illustrate socio-cultural norms and ideology.
Narratological analysis unfolds the socio-cultural
circumstances, and the relationship between implied reader and the
narration which share the common assumptions. Thus,
narratology has emerged as a critical tool for analyzing the verbal
and syntactic patterns of the narration.
These works have tremendously aided in the development of this
research, which aims to illuminate the narrative perspective in the
folktale Heer Ranjha. Various researchers from throughout the
world have been influenced by the folktale.
Different views exist, and the analysis of sequence and
patterns of folk tale ‘ Heer Ranjha’ has not been done before. The
study will highlight the most important notions of the Todorov’s
theory, such as the narratological sequence of the folk tale.
Narratological sequence build up a relationship between a text and
context.
Method of the Research:
This research is basically a qualitative research, in which all
the findings are depicted in the form of words and paragraphs
instead of numbers. The primary source of the study is the folk tale
‘Heer Ranjha ’ .
Research problem:
A critique of narratively constructed meaning has been a
significant area of inquiry in modern research. The study has
focused on the analysis of propositions and sequence in the folk
tale’ Heer Ranjha’ through the Todorov’s theory of narratology.
The analysis based on Todorov’s theory of narratology has sought
to find out how propositions and sequence are utilized as
discursive tools in terms of constructing meaning in the selected
folk tale.
Research Question:
This present study is focused on answering the following
question:
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How has the notion of proposition and sequence suggested by

Todorov in his theory of narratology been employed in the folk
tale ‘ Heer Ranjha’ ?
Analysis:
Narratological analysis contribute to critical discourse
analysis by assisting in the production of meaning in a text in a
socio-cultural context in the following part, narratological patterns
depicting the theme of love are examined along with lexical,
syntactic, and discourse level choices, as indicated by Todorov’s in
his theory of Narratology. In 1969, Todorov proposed a theory
which he believed applied to all films. He believed that all films
follow the same narrative pattern going through 5 stages. These are
the Equilibrium: The equilibrium is the first stage of Todorov’s
theory. This stage is found at the beginning of the film, where
everything is as it should be and the characters’ lives are normal,
disequilibrium: The second stage is the disruption stage. This is
when the state of equilibrium is disturbed by an event occurring,
Next, Todorov believes that the film has an acknowledgment stage,
where there is recognition of the event that disturbed the
equilibrium, solving: The solving stage is the part of the film
where there is an attempt to repair the damage of the disruption
that has been made and again the equilibrium: The final stage, is
the equilibrium stage again. This is the part where there is a return
or restoration of a new equilibrium as Five stages of Todorov’s
narrative theory can be applied on the narrative pattern of the folk
tale’ Heer Ranjha’. Todorov theory helps to arrive at a schematic
version of what Genette calls a narrative sentence (1972). A
narrative sentence is a single statement which expresses
fundamental propositions of an entire narrative. The Proposition
Skeleton of The Folk tale ‘ Heer Ranjha’ is given below:
Table 1. Application of Todorov (1969) set of Narrative categories

Equilibrium Ranjha said to Raja Adil “Heer is a spotless mirror and

a vast ocean of love for me and we both are true
lovers.”
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Disruption At the time of Nikah, Heer talked to her father and

Qazi, “My First nikah was already made with Ranjha
in the presence of true Prophet himself and was blessed
by God and witnessed by four Angles. When you know
that My life to a stranger would be a wild plant then
how can you dissolve my first nikah and marry me
second time to a stranger.”
Recognition When Ranjha heard the news of death of Heer, he says,
“Love proved a destroyer to her that’s why I am going
to deep sleep.”
Repair the Ranjha and Heer efforts to attain their Love and to
Damage break the shackles of the stereotypical structures.
Equilibrium It is spoken by Ranjha when he was going to kill
Again, himself to reach to Heer. For true lovers, permanent
place to live is not this temporary world but Heaven.
For true lovers there is no importance of worldly
existence, as their sole purpose is to meet each other
permanently. This is the purpose which is fulfilled by
the true lovers Heer and Ranjha at the end of the
folktale that portray the theme of love.
The Story also consists of ‘irreducible’ actions which act as
the fundamental units of the narrative: In practice such a unit may
appear as a series of related propositions e.g.
Related Propositions:
X and Y live together Heer and Ranjha were happy with each
happily other.
X Caught by the family of Ranjha caught by the family of Heer
Heer
X and Y established a new Heer and Ranjha died in love of each
balance other.
Propositions which are identified in the folk tale are in the
form of structural repetition or inversions, to form a particular
narrative pattern. In the analysis of 'Heer Ranjha', for example, it is
evident how a particular sequence of propositions is employed to
achieve a particular aesthetic effect. Todorov (1970) identifies
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character attributes with the adjectival component of sentences,

classifying them into three groups: by this schema a character
could be said to comprise such 'exterior states' as name, sex and
calling, and inter-related and, perhaps, conflicting traits suggesting
a 'nature', which is inferred from moods and reactions described. In
the folk tale ‘Heer Ranjha’ particular adjectives are used as a pre-
modification to create the exterior and interior states of the
characters e.g. Vast ocean, Spotless mirror, Wild plant etc. in the
folk tale ‘Heer Ranjha’ verbal categories are very suggestive to
highlight the theme of Love e.g. Precious pearls, Twine of Muni,
Battlefield etc. The verbal aspect of the folk tale resides in the
concrete sentences which constitutes the text. As Far as Syntactic
categories are concerned in Heer Ranjha Declarative indicative
sentences are used in a high frequency to highlight the theme of
Love. The opening of the narration of Heer Ranjha intimate
readers about the background of the family of Ranjha which
consists of the hate towards him from the wives of Ranjha’s
brothers in the form of certain verbal choices by them. As their
husbands worked hard all the day in the fields but Ranjha remains
aloof. He was the favorite son of his father but after the death of
his father, these women show their jealousy towards him. They
were of the jealous and cunning nature and they only care for
materialistic things rather than relations as they did conspiracy
with the help of their husbands and gave bribe to Qazi for dividing
the land. Relationship between men and women was based on the
materialistic values. The theme of love and hate through the lens of
socio-cultural norms has been highlighted in the state of Ranjha
which shows the real cause of throwing him away from his
brothers and giving him such barren land in his share. The
patriarchal structures are depicted in the folk tale in terms of
wealth, power and status. Narratological patterns in the folk tale
also highlights the conflicting attitudes of the main characters.
Each literary work consists of three dimensions, which are
entangled but can be distinguished in this analysis.
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The verbal aspect is divided into two domains: the utterance

and its performance. For instance, the climax of the folk tale
commence with the arrival of Heer to the yard with her girl
companions and discovered Ranjha asleep on her couch, the most
beautiful, proud, and spoiled daughter of a feudal chief, was not
expecting anyone to even touch her bed. So, she yelled at Ranjha
as she was narrated so proud of her status that she warned Ranjha.
Her lines have power because she belongs to a renowned caste.
She tried to beat Ranjha when he was asleep on her couch because
she was Chuchak Sial's spoiled daughter, but he awoke and
whispered these lines to her.
“Be gentle with me, sweetheart. This world is a dream. Even you,
proud lady, will have to die. You should not be unkind to strangers
or treat poor men with haughtiness. Take back your couch and
quilt and I will depart hence and be no more seen.”
She was a proud lady who found it difficult to listen to the
words of others, but Ranjha's comments had an impact on her.
Most notably, there are facts regarding men and women's
relationships in the lines, as males were very courteous, as Ranjha
is in the discussion, while ladies from prestigious families,
particularly Heer, were arrogant. Women from illustrious
households wielded power over men at the period. Ranjha
addressed her nicely and informed her that human love is founded
on humility and service to others, not on beautiful looks and
attractiveness.
“Daughters who are disobedient to their parents are not daughters
but prostitutes. You bad girl, you should be drowned in the deep
stream for causing such a scandal. Grown up daughters who
venture outside their father’s house should be thrown down the
wells. Why have you cut off the nose of the family.”
These remarks are self-explanatory, as they were spoken to Heer
by her mother when she first learned about Ranjha's love for her
daughter. It was not possible because she belonged to a higher
caste. Expected of her because women at the period lacked the
authority and power to love anyone and marry that individual.
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The syntactic and verbal categories are suggestive to the theme of

the folk tale. According to Todorov (1969) discovered
that narratives moved forward in a chronological order with one
action following after another. In other words, they have a clear
beginning, middle and end.
Thus, Propositional and sequential analysis of the selected
sections of the folk tale reveals how the theme of love is depicted
in the linguistic choices made by the author. The folk tale has a
sequence and it can be reduced to propositions which proved
Todorov’s notion of narratology as a science. It is noticeable that
there are some universal semantics in the selected folk tale which
is involved in creating the literary themes of the story. In short,
Todorov’s theory can be applied successfully on the narrative
patterns of the folk tale ‘Heer Ranjha’.
Application of the Todorov’s theory on the folk tale ‘Heer
Ranjha’ reveals how the emotion of love is embedded in the
linguistic choices made by the author. The propositions in form of
verbal and syntactic categories are emotionally charged colorful
ornaments supporting the theme of love construed in the folktale
under analysis. Further, the analysis of the above text of the folk
tale at three different levels including lexical, syntactical and
discourse level will explain how the choices have been selected
and employed by the writer in a particular context of folk tale. In
addition, the fact that there is only one point of view (external
focalization) open to tell the story limits the scope of the reader.
Conclusion:
Todorov’s theory has provided a framework to look through the
surface expressions to underlie syntagmatic and paradigmatic
structures of the selected folk tale and relating these to the
underlying meanings of it in terms of the plot, theme and character.
The research question required an analysis of propositions and
sequence in the folk tale’ Heer Ranjha’ as suggested by Todorov.
The analysis in the present study revealed that the selected folk tale
depicts a set of propositions and sequence of the five stages. The
analysis also focused on the aspects of selected folk tale in terms of
“Khoj” Vol. 87, July-December. 2021 10

verbal, syntactic and semantic elements. These categories permit

precise, unambiguous and relatively impersonal discussion of
literary effects. The study of Todorov’s narratology proves that the
narrative sequences in the selected story have covered the five
stages of narrative development, namely equilibrium, disruption,
realization, repair, and new equilibrium. However, the results of
the study prove that the pattern of the narratological development
of the folk tale ‘Heer Ranjha’ is not circular but linear. This study
is notable in that it opens up new avenues for analysis in the realm
of folk stories and lexical categories in discourse studies.

References
* PhD Scholar, Internation Islamic University Islamabad
** Associate Professor, Internation Islamic University Islamabad
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Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers. [Master’s thesis] Mentouri
University Constantine
2. Butler, J. (2007). Gender Trouble: Feminism and the
Subversion of Identity. Routledge.
3. Hogan, P.C. (2011). Affective narratology: The structure of
stories. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
4. Prince, G. (2003). A dictionary of narratology (Rev ed.).
Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press.
5. Todorov, T. (1971). The Two Principles of Narratives.
Diacritics 1(1), pp. 37-44
6. Lazar, M. M. (2007). Feminist Critical Discourse
Analysis: Articulating a Feminist Discourse PraxIS1.
Critical Discourse Studies 4 (2):141-164.
7. Usborne, C.F. (1973). The Adventures of Heer Ranjha. A
British Commonwealth, London: Owen. 203S. UNESCO.