Holly, I loved this post! I've been pondering your questions since I read it yesterday and I have a few thoughts:
1. One place I see storytelling come alive is at family gatherings -- a person's role in their family is often solidified by the stories that are told about them (sometimes over and over again), for better or worse.
2. I've also been reflecting on the way that I tell stories about my life when catching up with friends -- how vulnerable am I willing to be and to what end? Do I frame the same stories more positively or negatively based on who I'm talking to? Why filter myself in that way?
3. What about the stories that we tell about ourselves TO ourselves? I'm thinking imposter syndrome just might be telling ourselves untrue stories about our qualifications and abilities. What if we took a page out of the Anglo-Saxon's book and built ourselves up in the face of new challenges?
Thank you so much for such great food for thought!
Ooh I love your thoughts on the stories we tell about ourselves! I wonder if it’s built into our modern (millennial?!) psyche to tear ourselves down (it definitely is a British thing too). I think we’re quick to condemn those who put out an image of themselves that is perhaps more positive than their reality. But then why not?! We talk so much about manifesting nowadays, especially when we are reaching for dreams or promotions, or any kind of positive change. Before those changes become reality, is changing the story we tell about ourselves really any different? So many thoughts - thank you for sharing! You’ve got me thinking now.
Many stories have been modified over and over again. Our experiences help combat imposter syndrome and make them our shared experience with the readers. The power of storytelling is amazing!
You are so kind, thank you for your encouragement! I am coming to think that storytelling is integral to who we are as human beings, as you say. It has been so interesting for me to see how people have done this across time and continue to do so today.
We want familiar things that still challenge our perception. As readers, we want to know what its like to be an astronaut, and the changes that occur because of our desire. Storytelling draws unique curiosity from the imagination of mankind, whether something is worth living or not...
I love that familiarity with challenge dimension you bring up. And also the power of the imagination. I think that’s one of the things that really sets us apart as the human race: each new innovation began quite literally as the figment of someone’s imagination, that “I wonder if…” curiosity piece. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Lovely post. One obvious thing that springs to my mind is fairytales/folk tales of course, which I've been interested in for ages and have written about a fair few times on my own Substack.
Likewise the idea of narrative theory and how it shapes perceptions, for good or ill. In modern times, with all the propaganda and 'official narratives' it is usually for ill. This kind of thing should absolutely be taught in the education system, in the hope of giving young people especially an immunity to propaganda (which leads to war, amongst other things). The fact that what we call 'history' is largely a narrative, rather than a 'set of facts'. And it's always the writer of that narrative who has their own purpose (history written by the victors, etc.). This was especially the case after 1066 of course, and then again after 1485 (I doubt I need to explain either of those references to you!). The way history is taught in schools, ironically, is more a reflection on the underlying propaganda purpose of the people in charge, than it is about the truth.
There is an obvious psychological reason for all this as well, which is that a significant part of a human being's identity is their social group (or cultural) identity. And that group identity is largely informed by narrative (shared cultural history). Thus, he who controls the narrative, controls the social group.
Like, for example, when I was at school they made us learn all the 'kings and queens of England, and their regnal dates' - but it was from 1066! If you'd have asked me back then to give the regnal dates of genuine English monarchs I wouldn't have been able to. This was the great trick the Establishment are still pulling today - making people think that they, too, are 'British', rather than a separate social group identity essentially descended from the Normans - who were, essentially, a bunch of foreign fascists who used terror tactics to subjugate the native population (think jus prima nocte - one of the most evil things ever invented). Later (especially after 1381), they may have realised that controlling the cultural narrative to make them seem to be members of the same socio-cultural group as the natives was a much easier way of subjugation.
I think it's one of the great ironies of history that today, most people don't understand the first thing about the real narrative of British history, which is that since 1066 the country has been under occupation by a group with a different identity to the native population. Of course, if they did know that, there'd be a revolution.
Such is the power of history, and such is the power of narrative...
Just a few thoughts - thank you for the inspiration - hope I didn't get too heavy!
Great post, thank you! There is a lot here that overlaps with themes that have struck me in our Wolf Hall readalong: it's often startling to be reminded of the time it took for information to travel (as news of a death is gradually broadcast, or a competitive advantage gained by having more up-to-date information), and the Tudors latched on to the legend of Arthur as a 'historical' narrative that served their political purpose, linking themselves to it in an attempt to boost their legitimacy. As Mantel has Cromwell’s son say, when reading the Arthurian legends: “Some of these things are true and some of them lies. But they are all good stories.”
Holly, I loved this post! I've been pondering your questions since I read it yesterday and I have a few thoughts:
1. One place I see storytelling come alive is at family gatherings -- a person's role in their family is often solidified by the stories that are told about them (sometimes over and over again), for better or worse.
2. I've also been reflecting on the way that I tell stories about my life when catching up with friends -- how vulnerable am I willing to be and to what end? Do I frame the same stories more positively or negatively based on who I'm talking to? Why filter myself in that way?
3. What about the stories that we tell about ourselves TO ourselves? I'm thinking imposter syndrome just might be telling ourselves untrue stories about our qualifications and abilities. What if we took a page out of the Anglo-Saxon's book and built ourselves up in the face of new challenges?
Thank you so much for such great food for thought!
Ooh I love your thoughts on the stories we tell about ourselves! I wonder if it’s built into our modern (millennial?!) psyche to tear ourselves down (it definitely is a British thing too). I think we’re quick to condemn those who put out an image of themselves that is perhaps more positive than their reality. But then why not?! We talk so much about manifesting nowadays, especially when we are reaching for dreams or promotions, or any kind of positive change. Before those changes become reality, is changing the story we tell about ourselves really any different? So many thoughts - thank you for sharing! You’ve got me thinking now.
Many stories have been modified over and over again. Our experiences help combat imposter syndrome and make them our shared experience with the readers. The power of storytelling is amazing!
A lovely read. Storytelling is a fascinating art indeed and is so primal in the way it is woven into our psychology. I enjoy your writing immensely ☺️
You are so kind, thank you for your encouragement! I am coming to think that storytelling is integral to who we are as human beings, as you say. It has been so interesting for me to see how people have done this across time and continue to do so today.
The knowledge of the unknown has inspired us to challenge subjective meaning and the innate value of our chosen paths...
We want familiar things that still challenge our perception. As readers, we want to know what its like to be an astronaut, and the changes that occur because of our desire. Storytelling draws unique curiosity from the imagination of mankind, whether something is worth living or not...
I love that familiarity with challenge dimension you bring up. And also the power of the imagination. I think that’s one of the things that really sets us apart as the human race: each new innovation began quite literally as the figment of someone’s imagination, that “I wonder if…” curiosity piece. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
That was nice!
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
That’s really fascinating! I definitely learned a lot, and makes me ponder the wonder of storytelling in a new light.
I’m so glad you found value in it - and thank you for subscribing! It’s great to have you here 🥰
@John Paul Davis and @Rohit Sah thanks for sharing!
Lovely post. One obvious thing that springs to my mind is fairytales/folk tales of course, which I've been interested in for ages and have written about a fair few times on my own Substack.
Likewise the idea of narrative theory and how it shapes perceptions, for good or ill. In modern times, with all the propaganda and 'official narratives' it is usually for ill. This kind of thing should absolutely be taught in the education system, in the hope of giving young people especially an immunity to propaganda (which leads to war, amongst other things). The fact that what we call 'history' is largely a narrative, rather than a 'set of facts'. And it's always the writer of that narrative who has their own purpose (history written by the victors, etc.). This was especially the case after 1066 of course, and then again after 1485 (I doubt I need to explain either of those references to you!). The way history is taught in schools, ironically, is more a reflection on the underlying propaganda purpose of the people in charge, than it is about the truth.
There is an obvious psychological reason for all this as well, which is that a significant part of a human being's identity is their social group (or cultural) identity. And that group identity is largely informed by narrative (shared cultural history). Thus, he who controls the narrative, controls the social group.
Like, for example, when I was at school they made us learn all the 'kings and queens of England, and their regnal dates' - but it was from 1066! If you'd have asked me back then to give the regnal dates of genuine English monarchs I wouldn't have been able to. This was the great trick the Establishment are still pulling today - making people think that they, too, are 'British', rather than a separate social group identity essentially descended from the Normans - who were, essentially, a bunch of foreign fascists who used terror tactics to subjugate the native population (think jus prima nocte - one of the most evil things ever invented). Later (especially after 1381), they may have realised that controlling the cultural narrative to make them seem to be members of the same socio-cultural group as the natives was a much easier way of subjugation.
I think it's one of the great ironies of history that today, most people don't understand the first thing about the real narrative of British history, which is that since 1066 the country has been under occupation by a group with a different identity to the native population. Of course, if they did know that, there'd be a revolution.
Such is the power of history, and such is the power of narrative...
Just a few thoughts - thank you for the inspiration - hope I didn't get too heavy!
Great post, thank you! There is a lot here that overlaps with themes that have struck me in our Wolf Hall readalong: it's often startling to be reminded of the time it took for information to travel (as news of a death is gradually broadcast, or a competitive advantage gained by having more up-to-date information), and the Tudors latched on to the legend of Arthur as a 'historical' narrative that served their political purpose, linking themselves to it in an attempt to boost their legitimacy. As Mantel has Cromwell’s son say, when reading the Arthurian legends: “Some of these things are true and some of them lies. But they are all good stories.”