And behind it all is Kurt Vonnegut’s theory that all narratives fall into one of just six trajectories and since tested and supported: rags to riches; tragedy (riches to rags); man in a hole (fall-rise); Icarus (rise-fall); Cinderella (rise-fall-rise); Oedipus (fall-rise-fall).
Lost in a cycle, the words repeat, Stories echo in a hollow beat. Familiar tales on endless spin, A loop that traps the soul within.
Yet within the sameness, seeds may grow, New shades emerge in the shadowed glow, For even in cycles, change can gleam— A whispered hope within a dream.
Now that I've read this article, entitled "Why Do We Keep Telling the Same Stories?" That question is never addressed in the article.
In the many years I taught middle- and high-school, I asked many classes to figure out how many different stories there were in world fictional literature. They (we) were able to list a few, such as "the hero's journey," religious pilgrimages, action-adventure, love stories, philosophy, and a variety of mixtures of the above. Sometimes these are scientific, sometimes tragic, sometimes comic, etc., but we couldn't come up with any that did not fit into these characteristics.
From this rather limited list, we divined that those are the only things important to mankind.
I would love to read the opinions of others!
And, I would love it if "The Culturist" could help us chase down the answer!
But wait. You never content with the question posed in the title: why do we retell these stories? There is much to be said here about mythology. But you did not say a thing!
Thank you so much for the your posts here, particularly this one. Your words are concise, invigorating, and encourage us all onwards to explore deeper pathways.
“The Northman” film is an amazing retelling of Hamlet, set in a well-researched Viking context, but ironically goes back to the story of Amleth on which the Shakespeare play was based.
Another fun one would be The Matrix and Plato's allegory of the cave.
I love these articles! They are always interesting and get me thinking. Thank you.
I simply cannot believe I never made the connection in ‘She’s the Man’. lol great article!
And behind it all is Kurt Vonnegut’s theory that all narratives fall into one of just six trajectories and since tested and supported: rags to riches; tragedy (riches to rags); man in a hole (fall-rise); Icarus (rise-fall); Cinderella (rise-fall-rise); Oedipus (fall-rise-fall).
I enjoyed reading this but still wondering why? Why do we keep telling the same stories ?
Lost in a cycle, the words repeat, Stories echo in a hollow beat. Familiar tales on endless spin, A loop that traps the soul within.
Yet within the sameness, seeds may grow, New shades emerge in the shadowed glow, For even in cycles, change can gleam— A whispered hope within a dream.
Now that I've read this article, entitled "Why Do We Keep Telling the Same Stories?" That question is never addressed in the article.
In the many years I taught middle- and high-school, I asked many classes to figure out how many different stories there were in world fictional literature. They (we) were able to list a few, such as "the hero's journey," religious pilgrimages, action-adventure, love stories, philosophy, and a variety of mixtures of the above. Sometimes these are scientific, sometimes tragic, sometimes comic, etc., but we couldn't come up with any that did not fit into these characteristics.
From this rather limited list, we divined that those are the only things important to mankind.
I would love to read the opinions of others!
And, I would love it if "The Culturist" could help us chase down the answer!
And, if The Culturist was ready to take the deep dive into this, I would definitely upgrade my subscription!
Very interesting. Thank you.
As an author myself, your observations on this topic are very useful. Thank you.
But wait. You never content with the question posed in the title: why do we retell these stories? There is much to be said here about mythology. But you did not say a thing!
Thank you so much for the your posts here, particularly this one. Your words are concise, invigorating, and encourage us all onwards to explore deeper pathways.
“The Northman” film is an amazing retelling of Hamlet, set in a well-researched Viking context, but ironically goes back to the story of Amleth on which the Shakespeare play was based.
Yentl also has a kind-of trans appeal.
Forrest Gump has a lot of parallels with the story of Sir Percival, including his encounter with the Fisher King.
I remember the classics. Now, I shall take a good look at the movies.
10 Things I Hate About You and The Taming of the Shrew? :)