So I’ve been thinking about this question lately since I’m getting serious about writing my very first novel. And, as you may imagine, dear future writer, I carry around all kinds of insecurities! My crew of mean voices appeared again and this time I sat down with them.
As an English Philologist, I’ve analysed many MANY stories with just one question in mind: What is this all about?
Though I know this is categorically a different question, today I want to share with you what is my conclusion on what makes a great story great. When I say “story” I’m mostly speaking about literary works.
When an author writes a story, most of the time, he or she tries to portray an experienced reality, with more or less imagination; adding, almost always, fictional elements. Well, it’s not always the case. Some authors write purely for entertainment but, in general, they write with an exploratory eye to the human condition and behaviour. Expecting us to reflect on our nature as individuals and social groups.
WHAT MANY EXPERTS THINK
These days I’m hearing many storytelling experts talk about some “common elements” that apparently show up in the best and most influential stories of all time, such as The Odyssey and Hamlet; both belonging to very distant genres yet sharing flawed protagonists destined — through circumstances– to explore their complex and multi-dimensional character traits.
Inner conflict, compelling plots, in-crescendo organic pacing in the structure, recognisable “universal” emotions (what my writing teacher calls “amygdala emotions”), surprise and suspense, and engaging characters are just a few of the ingredients that create a good story BUT, how do you do that? What does it even mean “engaging character”? According to what writing school or culture?
Would classic literature be considered so influential if the works that define it were not the foundations of a new genre? How many of these “common elements” would be indisputably singular traits for a great story? Don’t get me wrong! I’m the first advocate of literary works that have left a legacy in history (in fact, I have a weird infatuation with Hamlet…but that’s another story)! My opinion here is that many times we confuse “a great story” with “this looks like a classic”. Literature critics and philologists are very nostalgic about old masterpieces like Frankenstein, The Bell Jar or Mansfield Park (I feel confident saying this ‘cuz I’m one of them). So every time we read a ‘new version’ of classics, we automatically idolise it.
IT’S SO OBVIOUS
Rarely in history has a literary work captivated the masses worldwide through time and space (we have very few examples like Don Quixote, The Little Prince or The Lord of The Ring). And, to be honest, in today’s world, we are witnessing a remarkable and rather novel phenomenon in human history. For the first time, we have a large population that can read and write, and there is a growing appreciation for literature and other art forms that revolve around storytelling. Concurrently, these literary works align with and reflect the values that hold the utmost significance in the present era.
Now…kill me if you think this is easy!!! It might look like that but the truth is that many stories have been considered great AND awful at the same time in different contexts. And we all know some controversial factors surrounding successful stories that, suspiciously, get critically acclaimed overnight! Don’t get me started with status, money, or political agreements behind the success of a “best seller”…
I bet you’re not surprised.
Sometimes it also happens that story experts give their opinion on a piece of work and create enough of a stir among the fan readership — because of the status they have worldwide within the industry — for that work to succeed. This video explains my point SO perfectly…
Other times stories simply go viral from the lower echelons because of the visceral depth of the human experience and the direct connection to the environment in which it takes place. But every time a story is “universally” considered fascinating it is, from my perspective, a coincidence in time and space. And let me say, not necessarily for that reason considered less worthy, quite the contrary. Great stories are great because we people listen to them or read them, then we interpret them and finally judge them.
Without an audience, storytelling wouldn’t exist.
Then, why some stories are overrated by experts and genuine hidden gems underrated? Is it important though?
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE
As I said before, it’s a relatively new fact that many people in the world know how to read and write.
Knowing how to interpret and “read between lines” is quite another matter altogether as I mentioned at the beginning. Many MANY people in positions of power censor literary works that help us understand and improve our behaviour with ourselves and the environment, and many others allow words of hatred towards different social groups and collectives to be published across the globe every day.
We readers have an immense responsibility when interpreting those stories. Especially if we translate those interpretations to a big audience.
It might look like we are very well-educated and independent critical thinkers. But the truth is that, as I suggested before, many social and political groups impose on us how we should think and interpret a literary work through influence and manipulation, ensuring that we grow our confirmation bias.
Our low tolerance for the strange and unusual is becoming more and more evident, along with creating increasingly rigid ideologies.
We just need to remember the most widely read and most controversial work in history — The Bible — for its thousands and thousands of different customised interpretations that favoured only a few who held the religious hegemonic pinnacle of that place to keep their interests untouched.
Another example. I was horrified the day I discovered the meaning behind Beauty and The Beast, but it made all the sense that it was transmitted as a folktale especially from mothers to daughters 300 years ago. I know NO ADULT who doesn’t love this fairytale, despite the obvious plot “incarceration of a girl with a beast”. Now I hate it, but I still appreciate the so-needed purpose in its context!
Many wicked ideologies have been transmitted through naïve storytelling and many distorted interpretations have been made out of literature.
The diverse range of readers’ and listeners’ immature perspectives can lead to an abundance of unfair judgements of any story. The labels of being great, flawed, lengthy, concise, fast-paced, or slow appear overly simplistic and limiting to me. They fail to capture the inherent countless circumstances that influence our opinions. We barely grasp the hidden messages of the author’s literary work in many of the stories we consume, so we should not take so seriously our opinions.
Perhaps the question we should be asking instead is what makes political parties, cultural groups, or individuals in general feel attracted by a story. And why do we need to classify them as “great” in the first place? What do you think? Read you in the comments below!
Keep creating, keep writing! ❤
Eva.