The MUST Tool: Exploiting Propp's Theory

MUST (MUltimedia STorytelling) is a web based multimedia tool for interactive storytelling. Designed for kids from 7 to 12 years, MUST supports a structured, systematic narrative process, defined according to the storytelling "patterns" developed by Vladimir Propp in his model of western folktales. Propp argued that all fairy tales are constructed of certain plot elements (called "functions") and that these elements consistently occur in a uniform sequence or macro-structure. In MUST, Propp's macrostructure and functions are proposed to kids through an engaging multimedia environment, which offers interactive narrative functionalities at different levels of complexity and a repertoire of multimedia elements for character's roles and action types (Propp's "functions"). In addition, MUST supports teachers and kids "to turn tales into drama", by offering functions to help users transform tale elements into constituents of a theatre piece (e.g., acts, scenes, dialogues, etc.).