The Storytelling Animal: How Science of the Brain Helps Create Captivating Stories

We are defined by stories. They form the foundation of our beliefs, faiths, characters, and tastes. Thousands of years ago, our ability to craft gripping plots helped us spread across the planet, maintain connections, and draw—then erase—boundaries between tribes. And more recently, they helped us write books, make films, and invent virtual worlds.

But why do we love stories so much? The answer lies in the way our brain works. Using the latest breakthroughs in neuroscience, Will Storr explains that the roots of Shakespeare’s worldwide fame lie in evolution, what the power of “Citizen Kane” and “American Beauty” is, and what we can learn from ourselves. In Storr’s view, each person’s life is a brilliant script—only it isn’t written by higher powers, but by our brain, which fills everything that happens with meaning and purpose every minute. The “inner storyteller” overturns ideas about literary craftsmanship and screenwriting skills, showing how stories are born in our heads—and how the authors of blockbuster films and celebrated literary masterpieces manipulate deep layers of the subconscious.

Caution: spoilers! The book reveals the plot of “King Lear,” “Hamlet,” “The Road to Change,” “Lolita,” “Lawrence of Arabia,” and others.