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Tag Archives: stories
If only we had elves (or timelords)…
One of my favorite things is making fun connections between the things I’m watching and reading, and this past week has been great for that. I’ll start with Brigands & Breadknives, the third in a series by Travis Baldree. His … Continue reading →
Why horror?
October is a great month for spooky reading! I decided to pass on our online book club’s selection this month, Dracula, as I’ve already read it many, many times. Instead, it seemed like a great opportunity to finally tackle The … Continue reading →
The retconning of America
This past weekend, it was great fun to discover that the bookstore clerk-owner I know as “Steve at Tsunami” has written a new book! It’s a fun book, too, a Jungian look at Star Wars, and on Saturday we attended … Continue reading →
Doomed to keep learning the same lessons?
So there’s this novel. I haven’t read it myself, so it wouldn’t be fair for me to identify it – but it was written by an Oregon-born author, published in 2020, became a best-seller, and won awards. Many people love … Continue reading →
Why do we have “human rights”?
Where did we get the idea that all people, not just those most like ourselves, should have basic, fundamental, “self-evident” rights? The historian Lynn Hunt has a theory – she credits the novelist Samuel Richardson. In her book, Inventing Human … Continue reading →
Posted in narrative science
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Tagged history, narrative immersion, politics, social change, stories
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Shocked by Mary Shelley
Until this month, I had never read Frankenstein. I always thought that I had, but, nope. Dracula is another matter – I bought my first copy from the Scholastic Book Club in sixth grade, and my life revolved around it … Continue reading →
Living in suspense
A few weeks ago, I was eagerly awaiting the final episode of Sanditon. It was a Masterpiece Theater series based on Jane Austen’s unfinished novel of the same name – she’d introduced the characters and the setting, but didn’t live … Continue reading →
Posted in narrative science, US politics
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Tagged closure, meta-narratives, stories, suspense
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Fantasy worlds as thought experiments
Reading a fantasy or science fiction novel gives your imagination a good workout. Not only are you constantly watching for clues to help you paint a coherent picture of the story world and how it works, you’re sharing the viewpoint … Continue reading →
Posted in narrative science
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Tagged genocide, metanarratives, moral psychology, stories
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Every voice counts
I heard a fascinating talk today by Martha Bayless, who is one of our university’s folklore professors, and whose CV is full of awesome things, like medieval humor and games, food, and magic. She also curated the ongoing exhibit on … Continue reading →
Fighting injustice with fantasy fiction
I read a great trilogy this past week, and I’m going to tell you all about it, but bear with me a moment – first I want to share a personal story. My late step-dad, Arnold, was in many respects … Continue reading →
The Meta-Narrator 