On the Origin of Story

I have always believed that stories, specifically fiction, were important to human development, but have never been able to adequately explain why.  Now Brian Boyd has written a book, On the Origin of Story: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction (Harvard University Press,) that puts forward a scholarly, scientific examination of the hows and whys without discounting the sheer pleasure we humans derive from stories.

Boyd makes an excellent case for art in general and storytelling in particular as evolutionary adaptations. We do indeed need art to live successfully as a society and to advance as human beings. The second half of the book takes a detailed look at two distinctly different kinds of stories: the “historical” story represented by Homer’s Odyssey and the “personal” story represented by Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who.

Reading On the Origin of Story got me thinking about the suppression of stories; not so much the outright banning of specific books, but the way that dictatorial authorities always seek to stamp out creative thought. Artists and intellectuals are always the first to be crushed when a new regime takes control. It is not just governments that do this, but also some religions (often the same ones who insist on a literal translation of the Bible-go figure.)

Fiction allows us to imagine and then to test out our imaginings without having to physically experience the events. Just as the invention of writing meant that knowledge could be passed from one generation to the next, so fiction can be used to pass on possibilities.

Pearls Before Swine

My top ten (or so) overlooked and under-rated movies in no particular order:

My First Mister

Return of the Secaucus Seven

Off the Map

Box of Moonlight

Pieces of April

The Big Night

Lars & the Real Girl

Mostly Martha

Once

Young At Heart

Bottleshock

‘Till the Money Runs Out

There is a joke that you hear if you are around people trying to make a living at what they love.

One potter/poet/musician/magician/fiber artist/farmer asks another, “What would you do if you won a million dollars?” The second artist thinks for a minute before saying, “I think I would keep doing what I’m doing until the money runs out.”

I am lucky enough to know a number of dedicated artists of various disciplines: writers, painters, musicians, craftspeople, gardeners, farmers (yes, farmers.) These are, for the most part, people who know they will never be famous (though some certainly deserve to be.) Still, they keep working, learning, growing. One of the things they all have in common is that they “need” to be doing what they are doing. Another is that they all realize that creativity is a verb. When people say, “I want to be a writer.” You can be pretty sure they never will be. Real writers write. Put the verb in there and I know you are serious.

Get serious. Find what you “need” to do, and do it. Once you do, you will want to keep doing it way past “when the money runs out.”