The storytelling animal : how stories make us human / Jonathan Gottschall.

The storytelling animal : how stories make us human / Jonathan Gottschall.

9780547391403
0547391404

Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, [2012]

©2012

English

xvii, 248 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

GR72.3 .G67 2012

808.5/43

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 long remained an undiscovered and unmapped country. It's easy to say that humans are "wired" for story, but why? In this delightful and 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.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [215]-230) and index.

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