The storytelling animal: how stories make us human
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English
Description
"Insightful...draws from disparate corners of history and science to celebrate our compulsion to storify everything around us."—The New York Times Book Review
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 remained an undiscovered and unmapped country. It's easy to say that humans are "wired" for story, but why?
In this delightful, original book, 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. Did you know that the more absorbed you are in a story, the more it changes your behavior? That all children act out the same kinds of stories, whether they grow up in a slum or a suburb? That people who read more fiction are more empathetic?
Of course, our story instinct has a darker side. It makes us vulnerable to conspiracy theories, advertisements, and narratives about ourselves that are more "truthy" than true. National myths can also be terribly dangerous: Hitler's ambitions were partly fueled by a story. But as Gottschall shows, stories can also powerfully change the world for the better. We know we are master shapers of story. The Storytelling Animal finally reveals how stories shape us.
"Lively."—San Francisco Chronicle
"Absorbing."—Minneapolis Star Tribune
"One of my favorite evolutionary psych writers—always insightful and witty."—Steven Pinker
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 remained an undiscovered and unmapped country. It's easy to say that humans are "wired" for story, but why?
In this delightful, original book, 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. Did you know that the more absorbed you are in a story, the more it changes your behavior? That all children act out the same kinds of stories, whether they grow up in a slum or a suburb? That people who read more fiction are more empathetic?
Of course, our story instinct has a darker side. It makes us vulnerable to conspiracy theories, advertisements, and narratives about ourselves that are more "truthy" than true. National myths can also be terribly dangerous: Hitler's ambitions were partly fueled by a story. But as Gottschall shows, stories can also powerfully change the world for the better. We know we are master shapers of story. The Storytelling Animal finally reveals how stories shape us.
"Lively."—San Francisco Chronicle
"Absorbing."—Minneapolis Star Tribune
"One of my favorite evolutionary psych writers—always insightful and witty."—Steven Pinker
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ISBN:
9780547391403
9781452629926
9780547644813
9780544002340
9781452629926
9780547644813
9780544002340
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 5f606b35-f161-e78f-d2b7-867e3e1f0b14 |
---|---|
Grouping Title | storytelling animal how stories make us human |
Grouping Author | jonathan gottschall |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2023-06-02 02:08:35AM |
Last Indexed | 2023-06-01 21:52:09PM |
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display_description
"Insightful...draws from disparate corners of history and science to celebrate our compulsion to storify everything around us."—The New York Times Book Review
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 remained an undiscovered and unmapped country. It's easy to say that humans are "wired" for story, but why?
In this delightful, original book, 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. Did you know that the more absorbed you are in a story, the more it changes your behavior? That all children act out the same kinds of stories, whether they grow up in a slum or a suburb? That people who read more fiction are more empathetic?
Of course, our story instinct has a darker side. It makes us vulnerable to conspiracy theories, advertisements, and narratives about ourselves that are more "truthy" than true. National myths can also be terribly dangerous: Hitler's ambitions were partly fueled by a story. But as Gottschall shows, stories can also powerfully change the world for the better. We know we are master shapers of story. The Storytelling Animal finally reveals how stories shape us.
"Lively."—San Francisco Chronicle
"Absorbing."—Minneapolis Star Tribune
"One of my favorite evolutionary psych writers—always insightful and witty."—Steven Pinker
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 remained an undiscovered and unmapped country. It's easy to say that humans are "wired" for story, but why?
In this delightful, original book, 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. Did you know that the more absorbed you are in a story, the more it changes your behavior? That all children act out the same kinds of stories, whether they grow up in a slum or a suburb? That people who read more fiction are more empathetic?
Of course, our story instinct has a darker side. It makes us vulnerable to conspiracy theories, advertisements, and narratives about ourselves that are more "truthy" than true. National myths can also be terribly dangerous: Hitler's ambitions were partly fueled by a story. But as Gottschall shows, stories can also powerfully change the world for the better. We know we are master shapers of story. The Storytelling Animal finally reveals how stories shape us.
"Lively."—San Francisco Chronicle
"Absorbing."—Minneapolis Star Tribune
"One of my favorite evolutionary psych writers—always insightful and witty."—Steven Pinker
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808.543 G687 2012
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owning_location_catalog
Carmichael
Central
McClatchy
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McClatchy
primary_isbn
9780547391403
publishDate
2012
publisher
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Tantor Media, Inc
Tantor Media, Inc
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Electronic books
Literature and science
Storytelling
Literature and science
Storytelling
title_display
The storytelling animal : how stories make us human
title_full
The Storytelling Animal How Stories Make Us Human
The storytelling animal : how stories make us human / Jonathan Gottschall
The storytelling animal : how stories make us human [electronic resource] / Jonathan Gottschall
The storytelling animal : how stories make us human / Jonathan Gottschall
The storytelling animal : how stories make us human [electronic resource] / Jonathan Gottschall
title_short
The storytelling animal
title_sub
how stories make us human
topic_facet
Electronic books
Language Arts
Literary Criticism
Literature and science
Nonfiction
Psychology
Storytelling
Language Arts
Literary Criticism
Literature and science
Nonfiction
Psychology
Storytelling
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