James Carlson #11: On Stories

The experience of stories, as C.S. Lewis portrays in his essay “On Stories” is a deeper and more profound subject than is given credit by most people. Lewis argues that stories have a power to them that goes beyond the cultivation of mere, individual excitement but rather a capability to delve into the realm of the universal human experience. It is stated within Lewis’s essay that stories have the capacity “to present, in fact, as an institution one permanent aspect of human experience” (Lewis 10). After reflecting on this theory, I personally concur with its conclusion. When I reflect on what makes me personally engaged within a general story being read/shown/spoken etc. it is not so much the presence of danger and death within the story but an ambiguous element of depth that speaks to me personally as an individual. The story represents certain thematic qualities or concepts I find appealing due to my own personal perspective of live. I believe that these elements that resonate with me are difficult to entirely identify but it is the degree of their presence in stories that entices me to certain stories in particular. It is this subconscious communication that motivates me to read.