THE STORY TELLING ANIMAL: HOW STORIES MAKE US HUMAN by JONATHAN GOTTSCHALL.
Humans live in landscapes of make-believe. We spin fantasies. We devour novels, films, and plays. Even sporting events and criminal trials unfold as narratives. Yet the world of story has long remained an undiscovered and unmapped country. Now Jonathan Gottschall offers the first unified theory of storytelling. He argues that stories help us navigate life's complex social problems--just as flight simulators prepare pilots for difficult situations. Storytelling has evolved, like other behaviors, to ensure our survival. Drawing on the latest research in neuroscience, psychology, and evolutionary biology, Gottschall tells us what it means to be a storytelling animal and explains how stories can change the world for the better. We know we are master shapers of story. The Storytelling Animal finally reveals how stories shape us.
- Back Cover Blurb
Statisticians agree that if they could only catch some immortal monkeys, lock them in a room with a typewriter, and get them to furiously thwack keys for a long, long time, the monkeys would eventually flail out a perfect reproduction of Hamlet - with every period and comma and "'sblood" in its proper place.
- First Sentence; Preface
Every night of our sleeping lives, we wonder through an alternate dimension of reality. In our dreams, we feel intense fear, sorrow, joy, rage, and lust. We commit atrocities; we suffer tragedies; sometimes we orgasm; sometimes we fly; sometimes we die. While the body lies dormant, the restless brain improvises original drama in the theaters of our minds.
- Memorable Moment; Page 69
READ FOR A CHALLENGE? ... No.
MY THOUGHTS ... As readers, we love stories, right? What better then than a book that explores the neuroscience, psychology, and evolutionary biology behind stories (whether those stories be those of books, plays, films, music, tv commercials or even, yes, our dreams).
Alas, not nearly as interesting nor informative as I'd have hoped, as with many other books of this type, to my mind a bit dry and long winded.
The insightful ideas/thoughts supplied by other than the author who then went on to augment them with musing and anecdotes of his own ... (Sighs) If only these musings and anecdotes had been more insightful or innovative.
Yes, full of bold (I might say rash) statements by the author. However, very one-sided; his views supported by one or two studies at most, where are the studies that refute them?
At the beginning full of interesting if hardly ground breaking theories. However get beyond this and a lot of the book was taken up by expanding on the points already made; points that I didn't need going over again in order for me to understand them.
Ah well! With more questions posed than answered I guess if nothing else The Story Telling Animal is a conversation starter.
6 comments:
Well, dry and long-winded did it in for me. Did Mr T feel the same way about it?
I enjoyed reading about this book, and your thoughts. Thanks for your honest review, Felicity.
Felicity,
I am truly sorry that this book
was too dry and longwinded, but as
always I appreciate your honesty.
Raven
The subject of this one sounds interesting and worthwhile. I like the fact that the description indicates that the author considered evolutionary psychology.
Hi Kelly, I think I found it more light-hearted, a little repetitive perhaps, but it was recommended to me as a text whilst critiquing narrative theological interpretation of scripture. I found it more useful for the sources the authour cited and the further reference material I was able to draw on from that. The evolutionary psychology bit was an interesting angle and I do like the notion of our species renamed as'pans narrans', rather than 'homo sapiens'.
Well,t hat's too bad because it seems like ti would be an interesting subject.
Karen @ For What It's worth
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