The science of storytelling : why stories make us human and how to tell them better / Will Storr.
2020
PN145 .S748 2020
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Details
Title
The science of storytelling : why stories make us human and how to tell them better / Will Storr.
Author
ISBN
9781419743030 (hbk.)
1419743031 (hbk.)
9781419747953 (paperback)
1419747959 (paperback)
9781683358183 (eBook)
168335818X (eBook)
1419743031 (hbk.)
9781419747953 (paperback)
1419747959 (paperback)
9781683358183 (eBook)
168335818X (eBook)
Published
New York : Abrams Press, 2020.
Copyright
©2020
Language
English
Description
291 pages ; 22 cm
Call Number
PN145 .S748 2020
Summary
Who would we be without stories? Stories mold who we are, from our character to our cultural identity. They drive us to act out our dreams and ambitions, and shape our politics and beliefs. We use them to construct our relationships, to keep order in our law courts, to interpret events in our newspapers and social media. Storytelling is an essential part of what makes us human. There have been many attempts to understand what makes a good story from Joseph Campbell's well-worn theories about myth and archetype to recent attempts to crack the 'Bestseller Code'. But few have used a scientific approach. This is curious, for if we are to truly understand storytelling in its grandest sense, we must first come to understand the ultimate storyteller: the human brain. In this scalpel-sharp, thought-provoking book, Will Storr demonstrates how master storytellers manipulate and compel us, leading us on a journey from the Hebrew scriptures to Mr Men, from Booker Prize-winning literature to box set TV. Applying dazzling psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to the foundations of our myths and archetypes, he shows how we can use these tools to tell better stories - and make sense of our chaotic modern world.
Note
"First published in 2019 in Great Britain by William Collins"--Page following title page.
Subtitle from cover.
Subtitle from cover.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Formatted Contents Note
Introduction
Chapter one: Creating a world.
Where does a story begin?
Moments of change; the control-seeking brain
Curiosity
The model-making brain; how we read; grammar; filmic word order; simplicity; active versus passive language; specific detail; show-not-tell
World making in fantasy and science fiction
The domesticated brain; theory of mind in animism and religion; how theory-of-mind mistakes create drama
Salience, creating tension with detail
Neural models; poetry; metaphor
Cause and effect; literary versus mass-market storytelling ; Change is not enough
Chapter two: The flawed self.
The flawed self; the theory of control
Personality and plot
Personality and setting
Personality and point of view
Culture and character; Western versus Eastern story
Anatomy of a flawed self; the ignition point
Fictional memories; moral delusions; antagonists and moral idealism; antagonists and toxic self-esteem; the hero-maker narrative
David and Goliath
How flawed characters create meaning
Chapter three: The dramatic question.
Confabulation and the deluded character; the dramatic question
Multiple selves; the three-dimensional character
The two levels of story; how subconscious character struggle creates plot
Modernist stories
Wanting and needing
Dialogue
The roots of the dramatic question; social emotions; heroes and villains; moral outrage
Status play
King Lear; humiliation
Stories as tribal propaganda
Antiheroes; empathy
Origin damage
Chapter four: Plots, endings, and meaning.
Goal directedness; constriction and release; video games; personal projects; eudaemonia
The story event; the standard five-act plot; plot as recipe versus plot as symphony of change
The final battle
Endings; control; the God moment
Story as simulacrum of consciousness; transportation
The power of story
The value of story
The lesson of story
The consolation of story
Appendix: The Sacred Flaw Approach.
Chapter one: Creating a world.
Where does a story begin?
Moments of change; the control-seeking brain
Curiosity
The model-making brain; how we read; grammar; filmic word order; simplicity; active versus passive language; specific detail; show-not-tell
World making in fantasy and science fiction
The domesticated brain; theory of mind in animism and religion; how theory-of-mind mistakes create drama
Salience, creating tension with detail
Neural models; poetry; metaphor
Cause and effect; literary versus mass-market storytelling ; Change is not enough
Chapter two: The flawed self.
The flawed self; the theory of control
Personality and plot
Personality and setting
Personality and point of view
Culture and character; Western versus Eastern story
Anatomy of a flawed self; the ignition point
Fictional memories; moral delusions; antagonists and moral idealism; antagonists and toxic self-esteem; the hero-maker narrative
David and Goliath
How flawed characters create meaning
Chapter three: The dramatic question.
Confabulation and the deluded character; the dramatic question
Multiple selves; the three-dimensional character
The two levels of story; how subconscious character struggle creates plot
Modernist stories
Wanting and needing
Dialogue
The roots of the dramatic question; social emotions; heroes and villains; moral outrage
Status play
King Lear; humiliation
Stories as tribal propaganda
Antiheroes; empathy
Origin damage
Chapter four: Plots, endings, and meaning.
Goal directedness; constriction and release; video games; personal projects; eudaemonia
The story event; the standard five-act plot; plot as recipe versus plot as symphony of change
The final battle
Endings; control; the God moment
Story as simulacrum of consciousness; transportation
The power of story
The value of story
The lesson of story
The consolation of story
Appendix: The Sacred Flaw Approach.
Location
PN145 .S748 2020
Available in Other Form
Online version: Storr, Will. Science of storytelling. New York : Abrams Press, 2020
Record Appears in
Course Lists
PRA950A Narrative Preaching Part A by Schmitt (Spring 2026)