Do Not Be Satisfied With Stories: Narrative Structure and Expectations

Is it easy to enter a story? Is it hard? And why? How much do expectations, knowledge, and familiarity, as well as a sense of what we believe is appropriate, play into how well we can understand and adjust to a narrative?

This lecture and follow-up discussion explores how the expectations we bring to a story influence how we engage with it, with a particular emphasis on how opening paragraphs (and opening sequences in films) often rely on familiarity and cultural knowledge to draw us in. We’ll focus on science fiction and fantasy stories, but the information is applicable to all narrative, and includes a close reading of the opening dance sequence of the filmed version of West Side Story.