Why Do Good Stories Stay With Us?
What is it about stories that captivate us? Especially fantasy stories? The ones that call us into another realm, world, time, reality, kingdom, etc, and encourage us to explore and adventure through it?
My first answer, and I’m sure yours, would be to escape from reality. A bad day at work or school can naturally make one want to dive into a world that seems bigger than himself and forget his troubles in this one. But more than that, it’s to imagine himself in that world.
I remember growing up, helping my mom, who was a Pre-K teacher. When she read stories at circle time, or when kids asked me to read stories one-on-one, there was always at least one kid who said, “I’d do things differently.”
I enjoyed reading “Choose-Your-Own-Adventure” books when I was a kid. Turn to page 20 for this decision and page 10 for a different one. I enjoyed playing games that required management and strategy.
Then I was proud of myself if I could think ahead, avoid a mistake, and come out on top. I created my own world where I could rule and grow.
It made me look inward and think about certain truths. Either about myself or the world around me. In both real life and in the game.
This is the wonder that awakens in us through stories like this.
This wonder is why C.S. Lewis’ Narnia and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth have such a draw. Because the worlds are so massive, it begs for the What-Ifs. You can imagine plenty of other stories happening in those worlds beyond The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia.
And why couldn’t you be part of that story? No one’s stopping you!
Lewis and Tolkien met with other writers at The Eagle and the Child pub in Oxford in the 1930s and 1940s. In this group, called The Inklings, they read their works aloud and received praise or criticism. No doubt they explored the countless themes, truths, motivations, characters, and histories that inspired the works they shared, as well as the various nuances within them.
Tolkien took this to another level, creating whole genealogies, languages, and cultures for his books.
Good stories don’t just entertain us, they interpret us.
When we analyze a story, when we ask why a hero hesitated or what a symbol means, we’re really studying our own hearts.
Would we do something different? Would we take a different path? Slay a dragon sooner or later?
That’s why literary criticism, done well, is a spiritual exercise. It’s not about showing off intellect; it’s about awakening empathy and conscience.
We wrestle with the motives of a fictional character to better understand our own.
When we take a close look at a kingdom or world that needs to be saved, we think about what needs to be done in our own.
This was a running theme in the Chronicles of Narnia. Aslan was very much an allegory for Jesus Christ, and Narnia mirrored the plight and condition of a fallen, sinful earth described in the Bible.
At the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Edmund and Aslan have a conversation about the “bridge” between Narnia and the real world, England, from which the Pevensie children came:
“Are – are you there too, Sir?” said Edmund.
“I am,” said Aslan. “But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”
Matthew Young, a friend of mine and fellow writer, recently launched a Substack. He shares short stories, reflections on space, and musings about the comic worlds that shaped him.
Go check him out here and subscribe!
That’s what makes good stories. The ones that call us to travel far from our world so that we can understand ours a little better. Then, when we come back, not only does our world seem a bit more alive, but we do too.
Stories can help us grow, live with clarity, and even learn to live in greater freedom!
Live Free!
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