Sarah Dillion and Claire Craig, Storylistening: Narrative Evidence and Public Reasoning, (New York: Routledge, 2021), xv + 230 pp. £38.75 pb. ISBN 978-0367406738.
This book is an asset to various fields of humanities studies–sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, socio-narratology, semiology–that value the role story plays in informing and transforming an understanding of social life. While there exists several works that either employ the use of story to best express meaning or study story to better understand some particular aspect of culture, few go beyond the classical approach that employs pure literary and/or linguistic theory as the basis of analysis. There are even fewer texts that introduce a theoretical framework that expands the field of study in the manner in which Sarah Dillion and Claire Craig have written.
The structure of the book is well planned and serves as an example of how other writers and researchers could present their material. The prologue clearly states the impetus for the book and the themes being explored. The introduction offers an understanding of several key terms that will be used in the book. An example is the brave choice to use story instead of the more formal sounding term narrative, a dilemma with which many, including myself, have struggled. This approach assists readers from different fields of study, who may use the same or similar words, to become familiar with the use of alternative meanings. These choices allow the reader to be on the same page as the authors and should be considered crucial for any interdisciplinary project intended to reach a broad audience.
The four chapters of the book are defined by the authors as, “our exploration of four cognitive and collective functions of stories, and their illustration in relation to the four case studies through the chapters’ performative readings, together make the case for Storylistening, providing both a robust theoretical basis for it, as well as demonstrations of how it can, and why it should, work in practice.” (19) Each chapter also incorporates the genre of science fiction as part of the Storylistening process due to the genre’s alignment with the specific issues in each case study and that “science fiction stories [lend] themselves most readily to textual performative readings.” (14)
Chapter One begins with the authors addressing the scholarly and common held understanding that the reading of stories solely produces empathy. This narrative-empathy-altruism hypothesis (NEAH) produces the empathy that leads to pro-social behavior which, from that conclusion, would posit that story is not as robust in regard to public reasoning. The author’s opposing theory explains why story is far more important when it is seen as a means for obtaining multiple points of view (POV). This explanation also provides strong support for the role socio-narratology plays in understanding the people and the societal system through the stories that are produced. The function of POV proposed by the authors is also strongly supported by the works of Berthold Brecht, Darko Suvin, Susan Keen, and others. They further explain how Storylistening gathers the evidence expressed by multiple POVs and creates a broader picture from which to better make decisions. The remainder of the chapter demonstrates through application both the flaws of the NEAH and also the possibilities of the POV while pointing out the significant role humanities experts can play in the Storylistening process through the analysis of the data curated.
Chapter Two discusses the powerful role identity plays in connecting people to stories and, in turn, generates the perspectives that Storylistening reveals. Through the use of various stories, both historical and contemporary, the authors demonstrate how people connect to certain stories and how this connection shapes the reader’s personal identity as well as that of groups. This story connection is similar to the well established theories in Émile Durkheim’s The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912), although not directly addressed by the authors, on the role totems serve in group identity as well as Antonio Gramsci’s theory of cultural interpellation. The chapter further discusses how story can also draw together disparate communities into a collective whole. The chapter provides further examples of identity within the practice of Storylistening, closing with a word of caution how researchers can become locked into their own identities without recognizing the bias that can occur.
In Emmanuel Levinas’ Totality and Infinity (1969), the general premise centers around the uniqueness of the Other as opposed to merely being a reflection of ourselves. This same understanding of the uniqueness and individuality of stories is championed by the authors in Chapter Three. They begin by once again defining what distinguishes their research from the general methods of model analysis typically applied to story. Whereas most in their particular field approach story as a model or reflection of the world, they reject this assumption and encourage the reader to consider applying a more scientific modeling of narrative. Their choice is the DEKI account of scientific representation–Denote, Exemplify, Key, Impute– which allows the researcher to “easily move between the concrete world of representational media and the (real or fictitious) target systems that are being modeled.” (94) They still acknowledge that the narrative model is “an idealised description or a conception” (94) and not merely a reflection of the real world.
The final chapter of the book addresses the authors’ anticipations of further studies and the application of their theory of Storylistening. They consider the role that genre, especially science fiction, plays in public reasoning about the future. Aligning with futurists and science fiction scholars such as Frederick Pohl and Darko Suvin, the authors see Storylistening as a means not to predict a possible future, but to anticipate and prepare for “possible, probable, and preferable futures.” (121) The authors, like others in the developing field of socio-narratology, recognize that “stories are not ‘merely entertainment’ but play a fundamental role in how human beings understand and interact with the world and its inhabitants.” (147)
One measure of a book for me is if it is inspirational. By that I mean does the book inspire thought that generates new ideas or deepen and affirm existing understandings? This was definitely the case for me and made the reading of this book both enjoyable and lengthy, which I mean in the best possible way. I had to stop reading every few pages to note the epiphanies that occurred and, in doing so, engaged in a meaningful conversation with the authors through their work. This is the rare type of book that is both informative and inspirational to researchers in related fields of study, but is also written in such a way that it can be used by students in the classroom, at least at the graduate level. The authors’ goal is to demonstrate the application of a framework of Storylistening with the intention that the theory be applied to the specific “practice of gathering narrative evidence to inform decision-making, especially in relation to public reasoning, as part of a pluralistic evidence base.” (156) This book should be of particular interest to anyone who recognizes and studies the power of story in human interaction as well as those who want to better understand the role story plays in public reasoning and societal discourse.
James Eric Siburt, PhD, Immaculata University
