The vast majority of stories told in movies, in books and on television conclude with happy endings – and this has real-world political consequences.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Narrative
Displaying 1 - 20 of 25 articles
It seems while the world has changed enormously since the industrial revolution, we haven't: we still love stories. And there's something sweet, and very human, about that.
How much you become engaged with a story is known as narrative transportation. And the more a story transports you, the more likely you are persuaded to adopt the beliefs espoused within it.
Have you ever read a novel in the second person? You probably found it strange.
The dynamic between the master and the slave dominates accounts of AI at the moment.
Diet books aren't just fluff. They offer a powerful insight into who Americans are – and how we wish the world could be.
It's gritty and gripping in equal measure, but the swords and snowstorm narrative also answers a number of basic human needs.
Simon John James and Richard Bower chat about differing conceptions of what it is to travel through time.
People want video games and interactive experiences that help them explore deep and meaningful themes, such as creating family, valuing diversity and living responsibly.
People tell each other stories every day about the things they've seen and done. For many children with autism, this kind of personal narrative doesn't come easily. Here's how parents can help.
After the death of legendary New York Daily News columnist Jimmy Breslin, some have lamented the end of blue-collar journalism. But in today's media environment, Breslin's approach might not be enough.
What has happened to former residents since the camp was closed in October 2016.
Is there weight to claims that reading can make you a better person – or are they just tall tales?
Contrary to popular belief, several recent studies suggest that plot spoilers don't always make us like a film or books less – and may even make us like it more.
Not everyone can weave a gripping tale. But for one gender, it matters more than the other.
When Gay Talese signed a confidentiality agreement with a motel-owning voyeur, he got access to the voyeur's journals and secret viewing perch. But he also allowed the spying to continue for over a decade.
Hollywood has kept its distance from the bombing of Hiroshima, 70 years ago, and novelists, aside from sci-fi authors, have largely ignored the catastrophe as a means of exploring human nature. Why?
The very idea of the happy ending as appropriate literary fare for children is an illusion. Most fairy tales are full of darkness and violence, and as often as not do not end happily.
There's no shortage of historical texts, but only a handful are lauded as literature. We can learn valuable lessons by revisiting EP Thompson's The Making of the English Working Class.
'History and fiction journey together and separately into the past; they are a tag team, sometimes taking turns, sometimes working in tandem.' Enjoy the second part of our series, Writing History.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor of Narratology, University of Sydney
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Professor, University of Newcastle
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Principal Research Fellow, Institute for the Study of Social Change, University of Tasmania
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Honorary Professor in History, University of Sydney
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Professor in Physics, Durham University
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Professor and Chair of Political Science, University of Vermont
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Lecturer in Contemporary Literature, La Trobe University
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Professor of Film & Media Culture, Middlebury
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Assistant Professor of Psychology, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
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Professor of Journalism, Boston University
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Associate Professor of Communications, Pennsylvania State University
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Associate Professor, Visual & Creative Arts Education, University of Sydney
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William Keith Hancock Professor of History, Australian National University
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Assistant Dean and Lecturer in English Literature, University of Notre Dame Australia
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Lecturer in Theatre Studies, UNSW
