Narrative & Storytelling

Watch

• The Secret to Telling a Great Story — in Less Than 60 Seconds | Jenny Hoyos | TED ↗TED
• From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians, Part Two (full documentary) | FRONTLINE ↗FRONTLINE PBS | Official
• From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians, Part One (full documentary) | FRONTLINE ↗FRONTLINE PBS | Official
• Karl Marx: The Most Dangerous Philosopher in History | A Bedtime History Documentary ↗History After Dark

Read

• Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting ↗An indispensable primer for understanding the architecture of compelling narratives, applicable far beyond the screen.Robert McKee
• The Hero with a Thousand Faces ↗Uncovers the universal patterns and archetypal journeys that underpin the most enduring stories across cultures and epochs.Joseph Campbell
• Aspects of the Novel ↗A concise and elegant exploration of the fundamental elements that constitute a novel, from plot to character, delivered with wit.E.M. Forster
• The Narrative Construction of RealityExplores how narrative structures our understanding of the world, arguing that reality itself is often constructed through the stories we tell.Jerome Bruner
• The Rhetoric of Fiction ↗A seminal work dissecting the author's implicit and explicit communication with the reader, particularly on the ethics and effects of narrative voice.Wayne C. Booth

Voices to follow

• Margaret Atwood ↗A titan of contemporary literature, her narratives often dissect power, gender, and environmental anxieties with prescient clarity.Novelist, poet, literary critic
• Yuval Noah Harari ↗His works masterfully weave grand historical narratives to illuminate the human condition and future trajectories.Historian, author, public intellectual
• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ↗Her incisive narratives offer profound insights into identity, culture, and the complexities of the human experience, challenging monolithic perspectives.Novelist, essayist, public speaker
• Steven Pinker ↗He dissects the mechanics of language and thought, demonstrating how clear, compelling narrative underpins effective communication and understanding.Cognitive psychologist, linguist, author
• Neil Gaiman ↗A modern mythmaker, he crafts intricate, imaginative narratives that explore the enduring power of stories and their resonance in contemporary life.Author, graphic novelist, screenwriter

Glossary

• CharacterA character is a person, animal, or imaginary being in a story. Characters drive the action and make the story interesting through their thoughts, feelings, and actions. For example, Harry Potter is a famous character known for his bravery and magical abilities.
• ConflictConflict is the main problem or struggle that the characters face in a story. It creates tension and makes the reader wonder what will happen next. For example, a conflict could be a student struggling to pass a difficult exam, or two friends arguing over a misunderstanding.
• DialogueDialogue is the conversation between characters in a story. It shows what characters are saying to each other and helps reveal their personalities and move the plot forward. For example, when a character says, "I can't believe we're finally here!" and another replies, "Me neither, it's amazing!", that's dialogue.
• GenreGenre is a category or type of story, like fantasy, science fiction, mystery, or drama. Stories within the same genre often share similar styles, themes, and common elements. For example, "Harry Potter" is a fantasy genre story because it involves magic and mythical creatures.
• NarrativeA narrative is simply a story, an account of events that are connected and told in a certain order. It can be real or imagined, and it helps us understand experiences. For example, when you tell your friend about what happened during your school trip, you're creating a narrative.
• PlotThe plot is the sequence of events in a story, showing what happens from beginning to end. It's like the roadmap that guides the reader through the story's journey. For example, in a detective story, the plot would include finding a clue, interviewing suspects, and finally solving the mystery.
• Point of ViewPoint of view is the perspective from which a story is told, meaning who is narrating the events. It determines what the reader knows and how they feel about the characters and events. For example, if a story is told from the main character's point of view, you only know what they see, hear, and think.
• ProtagonistThe protagonist is the main character in a story, the one the story is mostly about. They are usually the hero or the person whose journey we follow. For example, in the story of Cinderella, Cinderella herself is the protagonist.
• ResolutionThe resolution is how the main problem or conflict in a story is solved or worked out. It's the part where things settle down and the story comes to a close. For example, if the conflict was two friends arguing, the resolution might be them talking it out and apologizing to each other.
• SettingThe setting is the time and place where a story happens. It includes the environment, the weather, and even the historical period, all of which can influence the story's mood and events. For example, a story set in a futuristic city in the year 2050 will feel very different from one set in a small village during ancient times.
• ThemeThe theme is the main message or big idea that the author wants to share with the reader. It's often a universal truth or lesson about life, human nature, or society. For example, the theme of many superhero movies is that good triumphs over evil, or that courage is important.

Threads 7

Where this connects to other fields, and why it's worth knowing.

• Creation Myths and Origin Stories Religion

  Startups obsess over their 'founding story,' the tale of two friends and a garage. Ancient tribes did the exact same thing with origin myths about heroic ancestors. A good beginning story turns a random bunch of people into a group that feels chosen, with a destiny worth fighting for.

• Procedure & Evidence Law

  Juries don't really add up cold odds and percentages; they pick whichever side told the story that hangs together best. That's a problem, because a smooth, believable tale can beat the messy, true one. In a courtroom, the better storyteller can sometimes outrun the actual facts.

• Consciousness & the Self Psychology

  Your feeling of being one solid 'you' might be a story your brain tells after the fact, an autobiography it edits to make sense. That's why, in experiments, people confidently explain reasons for choices their brain already made before they were even aware of it. The self may be less a driver and more a narrator making it all sound intentional.

• Behavioral Economics Economics

  'The economy is doomed' spreads person to person like a cold, and once enough people catch the story, they stop spending and the crash becomes real. Economists now argue that bubbles and recessions ride on contagious stories, not just cold numbers. A viral narrative can move the whole economy, because money runs on what people believe.

• Climate Change Science

  A good story needs a villain, a ticking clock, a hero, and a big final showdown. Climate change has none of that: no single bad guy, no clear deadline, no dramatic ending. The science is settled, but our brains are built to pay attention to stories, and this threat just doesn't fit the shape of one.

• Stress & Trauma Psychology

  After something horrible, the memory can feel like scattered, jagged fragments. Therapy helps partly by forcing it into a story, beginning, who, what happened, how it ended. The same shape that makes any tale make sense is what lets your mind finally mark the trauma as over.

• Nietzsche and Nihilism Philosophy

  Nietzsche said we should become the poets of our own lives. Modern psychology basically agrees: your "self" isn't a fixed thing you find, it's a story you keep writing. Meaning comes from the tale you keep telling about who you are.