The Storytelling Animal
How Stories Make US Human
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · April 23, 2013
In this delightful and original book, Jonathan Gottschall offers the first unified theory of storytelling.
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- Who it’s for
- Stories meet neuroscience and evolutionary biology in an inquiry into how humans understand the world.
- Themes
- Storytelling and human nature, Stories as tools for social problems, Storytelling and human survival
- Genres
- How We Evolved to Think, How We Think & Learn, Cognitive Science
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For younger readers: Unstoppable US, Volume 1: How Humans Took Over the World, Storybooth, The Greatest Stories Ever Played
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Start with this bookAbout this book
In this delightful and original book, Jonathan Gottschall offers the first unified theory of storytelling. Drawing on neuroscience and evolutionary biology, The Storytelling Animal explores what stories reveal about human nature, how we process information, and think about the world. 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.
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Gottschall 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. Gottschall tells us what it means to be a storytelling animal and explains how stories can change the world for the better. We know we are master shapers of story. The Storytelling Animal finally reveals how stories shape us. A NYTimes.com Editor's Choice A Los Angeles Times Book Prizes Finalist “A jaunty, insightful new book . . . [that] draws from disparate corners of history and science to celebrate our compulsion to storify everything around us.”—The New York Times
Story in Human Life
Stories meet neuroscience and evolutionary biology in an inquiry into how humans understand the world.
Come here for
- Neuroscience and evolutionary biology brought to the question of story
- Stories beyond books, including films, sports, and trials
Expect
- An argument about stories as tools for navigating social problems
- A look at storytelling’s role in human survival
Where it sits
| How We Evolved to Think | 26% |
|---|---|
| Cognitive Science | 24% |
| How We Think & Learn | 20% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Social History
- Books & Reading
- Brain & Behavior
- How We Evolved to Think
Show all 8 publisher categories
- Biology
- Evolution
- History of Science
- Developmental Biology
- Authors
- Jonathan Gottschall
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- April 23, 2013
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Storytelling and human nature · Stories as tools for social problems · Storytelling and human survival
- Reading lane
- Social History