Storytelling Animal by Jonathan Gottschall

of Imagine  “Enthralling.”  J L , author of Imagine 

 Jo  J onat han Gottsc hall The

STORYTELLING ANIMAL How Stories Make Us Human

T h e 

S  A  A   HOW STORIES MAKE US HUMAN

 J  J G G 

houghton mifflin harcourt

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boston

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new york 

Cpyrght © 2012 by Jnathan ttha  A rght rrv Fr nrmatn abut prmn t rpru tn rm th bk,  wrt t Prmn, Hughtn Hughtn Mfn Harurt Pub Pubhng hng Cmpany, Cmpany, 215 Park Avnu uth, w Yrk, Yrk, w Yrk 10003.  www.hmhbk.m  www .hmhbk.m Library o Congress Cataloging-in-Publi Cataloging-in-Publication cation Data ttha, Jnathan. Th trytng anma: hw tr mak u human /  Jnathan  Jnath an ttha. ttha. p. m. nu bbgrapha rrn an nx. ISBN 978-0-547-3914 978-0-547-39140-3 0-3 1. trytng. 2. Ltratur an n. . Tt. Tt. GR72.3.G67 2012 808.5'43 — 23 2011042372

k gn by ran Mr Prnt n th Unt tat  Amra doc 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

zzar ntrtanmnt® an Th r  arrat® ar rgtr tramark  zzar ntrtanmnt, n.

Cntnt

Preace  x 1.

Th thry  try

2.

Th   Ftn 21

3.

H  try-Frny 45

4.

ght try

5.

Th Mn  a trytr

6.

Th Mra  th try

7.

nk Pp Chang th r

8.

L tr

9.

Th Futur  try

68

Notes  203 Bibliography  215 Index  233

87 117

156 177

 Acknowledgments  201

Credits  231

1

139

 ma Man bau H v tr. — Elie Wiesel, The Gates o the Forest 

Pra

tattan agr that  thy u ny ath m mmrta mnky, k thm up n a rm wth a typwrtr, an gt thm t uruy thwak ky r a ng, ng tm, th mnky wu vntuay a ut a prt rprutn   Hamlet — wth vry pr an mma an “ ’b” n t prpr pa. t  mprtant that th mnky b mmrta: tattan amt that t w tak a vry ng tm. Othr ar kpta. n 2003, rarhr rm Pymuth Unvrty n ngan arrang a pt tt  th -a nnt mnky thry — “pt” bau w t n’t hav th trp  ath uprmnky r th nnt tm hrzn rqur r a v tt. ut th rarhr  hav an  mputr, an thy  hav x uaw rt maaqu. Thy put th mahn n th mnky’ ag an  th r. Th mnky tar at th mputr. Thy rw t, murmurng. Thy ar t wth thr pam. Thy tr t k t wth rk. Thy quatt vr th kybar, tn, an v thr wat. Thy pk up th kybar t   

xiii xi

PREFACE

t tat g. t n’t,  thy hammr t n th grun an ram. Thy bgan pkng ky, wy at rt, thn atr.. Th rarhr at bak n thr atr th r har an wat. A wh wk wnt by, by, an thn anthr anthr,, an t th azy  mnky ha nt wrttn Hamlet, nt vn th rt n. ut thr abratn ha y m v pag  txt.  th pru rarhr  th pag n a hanm athr bnng an pt a pyrght am  a bk a Notes Towards the Complete Works o Shakespeare n Shakespeare  n th ntrnt.  qut a rprntatv paag:   naaaaaa naaaaaa aaa  Aaa a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a                        h A ggggggg  Agggggggaaavmvvajjja  Agggggggaaavmvva jjja

PREFACE

xiii

Th xprmnt’ mt ntab vry wa that uaw rt maaqu graty prr th ttr s  s t t a thr ttr n th aphabt, thugh th u mpatn  th vry ar nt yt knwn. Th zgt Amy Pwman, th tuy’ a nvtgatr, nu bry, “Th wrk wa ntrtng, but ha tt nt vau, xpt t hw that ‘th nnt mnky thry’ thr y’  aw.” n hrt, t m that th grat ram  vry tattan —  n ay rang a py  Hamlet   Hamlet han han vr by an mmrta uprmnky —  jut a antay. ut prhap th trb  tattan w b n by  th trary har Jr Tanaka, wh pnt ut that athugh Hamlet  wan’t thnay wrttn by a mnky, t wa wrttn by a prmat, a grat ap t b p. mtm n th pth  prhtry, Tanaka wrt, “a  than nnt artmnt  bpa hmn pt  rm a nt-qut nnt grup  hmp-k autrapthn, an thn anthr qut nt ban   hary prmat pt  rm th rt mty rw  bp. An n a vry nt amunt  tm, [n ]  ] th prmat prmat did  wrt Hamt.” did wrt An ng br any  th prmat thught  wrtng Hamlet  r Harqun r Harry Pttr tr — ng br th prmat u nvn wrtng at a — thy thrng arun harth r trang w  abut brav trktr an yung vr,  hr an hrw huntr, a h an w rn, th rgn    th un an th tar, th natur  g an prt, an a th rt  t. Tn  thuan  yar ag, whn th human mn mn  wa yung an ur numbr wr w, w, w wr tng n anthr tr. An nw, tn  thuan  yar atr, whn ur p tm ar th gb, mt  u t hw trngy 

xiv xi v

PREFACE

t myth abut th rgn  thng, an w t thr t an atnhng muttu  tn n pag, n tag, an n rn — murr tr, x tr, war tr, npray  tr, tru tr an a.  ar, a a p, at t try.. vn whn th by g t p, th mn try m n tay up a nght, tng t tr. Th bk  abut th prmat Homo fctus (tn fctus (tn man), th grat ap wth th trytng mn. Yu mght nt raz t, but yu ar a ratur  an magnatv ram a vran. vran  yur hm, an br yu , yu  w pn a thr.  yu havn havn’’t nt th br, n’t par: try  r a human a watr  r a h — anmpang an nt qut papab. h yur by  a way x at a partuar pnt n pa-tm, yur mn  away r t ramb n an  mak-bv. An t . Yt vran mty rman an unvr an unmapp untry.   nt knw why w rav try.  n’t knw why vran xt n th rt pa. An w n’t knw xaty hw, r vn , ur tm n vran hap u a nvua an a utur. n hrt, nthng  ntra t th human ntn   nmpty unrt. Th a r th bk am t m wth a ng.  wa rvng wn th hghway n a brant a ay, hruy pnnng th FM a. A untry mu ng am n. My uua rpn t th rt  atatrph  t ap ranty at my  ra n an rt t mak th n tp. ut thr wa mthng partuary hartt n th ngr’ v. , nta  turnng th hann,  tn t a ng abut a yung man akng r h wthart’ han n marrag. Th gr’ athr mak th yung man wat n th vng rm, whr

PREFACE

xv

h tar at ptur  a tt gr payng Cnra, rng a bk, an “runnng thrugh th prnkr wth a bg pp grn / Danng wth hr a, kng up at hm.” Th yung man uny raz that h  takng mthng pru rm th athr: h  tang Cnra. r th ng wa vr,  wa ryng  har that  ha t pu  th ra. Chuk k’ k’ “tang Cnra” aptur mthng unvra n th wt pan  bng a athr t a aughtr an knwng that yu wn’ wn’t away b th mt mprtant man n hr .  at thr r a ng tm ng a but a marvng at hw quky k’ ma, mua try ha mt m — a grwn man, an nt a wpr — nt hr hpn. Hw   t ,  thught, that a try tr y an nak up n u n a bautu autumn ay, mak u augh r ry, mak u amru r angry, mak ur kn hrnk arun ur h, atr th way   w magn urv an ur wr. Hw bzarr t  that  whn w xprn a try — whthr n a bk, a m, r a ng — w aw urv t b nva by th tr. Th try makr pntrat ur ku an z ntr  ur bran. Chuk k wa n my ha — quattng thr n th ark, mkng gan, knng nurn. Th bk u nght n ght rm bgy bgy,, pyhgy, pyhgy, an nurn t try t unrtan what happn t m n that brght a ay. ’m awar that th vry a  brngng n — wth t k mahn, t  tatt, t unvy   jargn — nt vran mak many pp nrvu. Ftn, anta, ram — th ar, t th humant magnatn, a kn  ar prrv. Thy ar th at batn   mag. Thy ar th n pa whr n annt — hu nt — pntrat, rung annt mytr t trhma trm n th bran r th tm warar amng h

xvii xv

PREFACE

gn. Th ar  that  yu xpan th pwr  vran, yu may n up xpanng t away. A rwrth a, yu hav t murr n rr t t. ut  agr. Cnr th nng  Crma MCarthy’ nv The  Road. MCarthy w a man an h yung n a thy   wak ar a a wr, a “aban,” “aban,” n arh  what thy  mt n t urvv:  an human mmunty.  nh th nv pp n a quar  unght n my vng rm arpt, th way  tn ra a a by.   th bk an trmb r th man an th by, an r my wn hrt , an r my wh pru, umb p. At th n   The Road, th man  a, but th by  v n wth a ma amy  “g guy.” Th amy ha a tt gr. Thr  a har  hp. Th by may yt b a nw Aam, an th gr may yt b h v. ut vrythng  praru. Th wh ytm  a, an t’ nt ar  whthr th pp an urvv ng nugh nu gh r t t rvr. rvr. Th nv’ na paragraph whk u away rm th by an h nw amy, an MCarthy tak av  u wth a bautuy ambguu pm n pr. On thr wr brk trut n th tram n th muntan. Yu u  thm tanng n th ambr urrnt whr th wht g  thr n wmp ty n th w. Thy  m  m n yur han. Ph an muuar an trna. On thr bak wr vrmuat pattrn that wr map  th wr n t bmng. Map an maz. O a thng  whh u nt b put bak. t b ma rght agan. n th p gn whr thy v a thng wr r than man an thy humm  mytry.

hat  that man?  t a ugy r a a wr that  w nvr burgn agan wth , r  t a map  th “wr

PREFACE

xvii

n t bmng”? Mght th by t b av, ut n th vng  w wth th g guy, hng trut? Or  th by gn, aughtr r mat?  n an anwr th qutn. ut n can hp xpan why tr k The Road  hav uh pwr vr u. The Storytelling Animal  Animal   abut th  way xprr rm th n an humant ar ung nw  t, nw way  thnkng, t pn up th vat trra ngnta  vran. t’ abut th way that tr — rm TV  mmra t ayram t th burqu pta  prna wrtng — aturat ur v. t’ abut p pattrn n th happy mayhm  hrn’ mak-bv an  what thy rva abut try’ try’ prhtr rgn. t’ t’ abut hw tn ubty hap ur b, bhavr, th — hw  t pwruy m utur an htry. t’ abut th annt r  th pyhtay ratv nght tr w a ram. t’ abut hw a t  bran rut — uuay brant, mtm bunh — r narratv trutur n th ha  ur v. t’ a abut tn’ unrtan prnt an hpu utur. Abv a, t’ abut th p mytrun  try. hy are  hy  are human human at t vran? Hw   w bm th trytng anma?