from the archives: The Storytelling Animal by Jonathan Gottschall Review
This fascinating and exceptionally well written book discusses all aspects of storytelling in humans and its implications on both individual and societies. According to From the role of story telling in hunter gather tribes like the !Kung people of Saharan Africa to the night stories that take over human minds during our nightly sleep cycles.
As Gottschall explains, Mirror neurons could play a part because often times it is difficult to not mirror back and feel the emotions of the main characters of a book, fiction or not, or any story. Humans tend to reflect back what they observe, and with respect to stories, it is no different.
The reason for the evolutionary need for stories is complex and mysterious, but Gottshall muses that the combination of many reasons are evident in the constant use of and proliferation, and increasing in popularity of story telling despite the constant invention of new and ever more tempting distractions with all the new technology.
The book is charming and cleverly written and organized. A must read for anyone excited about the future or the history of stories, as well as anyone perplexed by the need for or fascination with fiction in the real world, and those who are curious about why we observe, experience and express stories the way we humans do. Gottschall states clearly and compellingly that fiction as well as our daily living realities are entwined into a fascinating vine with its own pattern, that reveals a hidden truth to all human life. If only we would listen more carefully, observe more thoroughly and share more openly our stories could lead to peace, unity and strengthen our relationships.
No comments:
Post a Comment