Shaped by Stories: The Ethical Power of Narratives

by Marshall Gregory

In his latest book, Marshall Gregory begins with the premise that our lives are saturated with stories, ranging from magazines, books, films, television, and blogs to the words spoken by politicians, pastors, and teachers. He then explores the ethical implication of this nearly universal human obsession with narratives. Through careful readings of Katherine Anne Porter’s "The Grave," Thurber’s "The Catbird Seat," as well as David Copperfield and Wuthering Heights, Gregory asks (and answers) the question: How do the stories we absorb in our daily lives influence the kinds of persons we turn out to be? Shaped by Stories is accessible to anyone interested in ethics, popular culture, and education. It will encourage students and teachers to become more thoughtful and perceptive readers of stories.

Genres: Nonfiction, Research

223 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who has read my zines or selected reviews on Goodreads knows how important I think stories are; about how the stories we consume shape our beliefs, morals, and how we act in the world. Gregory believes this as well and has written this lovely book to argue that we need to evaluate the stories we take in--whether through literature, TV, films, songs, or history--on their ethical values.

He deftly elucidates the power of stories, how making ethical or moral judgments is unavoidable, destroys the notion that stories do not affect us (why, only children are susceptible to the good and bad in stories, us adults are so much more sophisticated, right?), and makes a solid case that art cannot be truly evaluated without considering the ethical values put forth by any piece of art.

Marshall Gregory also understands that academic works are often isolated from most people's daily living and that the personal story of the author must be incorporated into texts--some of the best parts in this book involve his personal history with stories, how they affected him, what they gave him, and how he came to believe the things he does.

I would put some quotes up here from the book, but I don't have hours to reproduce all the ones I thought to mark--you'll just have to read it.

The end of the book asks the question: if it is well and good to practice ethical criticism, what is the definition of "ethics" and how are those decided? His answer is simple and brilliant, and well along the lines of the kind of anarchist thought I embrace.

Anyone who loves stories and/or writes them will gain something from reading this. I realized that I have become a lazy reader--as Gregory says, we "assent" to the pull of the story, becoming immersed in its hooks, and this can lead us away from critical thought. Lazy reading has nothing to do with the stories we consume, but how we think about them, relate them to reality, and internalize their ethos without thought. You get caught up in the story, right? But what is that story presenting?

I'm not totally lost, though. I read a lot of Young Adult Fantasy and other books not only because they are entertaining, provide an escape valve from reality, and because I didn't have such excellent books when I was young, but also to see what stories and ethics are being presented for youth consumption. Unlike a lot of crime fiction and mysteries that I read, Young Adult fantasy mostly presents good ethical qualities. When we as a society start taking the stories we tell seriously, I think we'll be surprised by how well those engaged with stories that value cooperation and empathy turn out. And I think we'll be disgusted by the vast majority of stories that merely reproduce the worst biases, oppressions, and superficiality of our age.

[madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

as an undergraduate who, for a hot second, lived as if she were to become an English major, i find the theory and methodology in this book both fascinating and necessary. why had this not been a topic of discussion in my courses ? why had no one mentioned or discussed the ethical teaching and shaping of narrative ?

gregory invites readers - and well, all of humanity - into a fuller and deeper understanding of our own self, as well as the self we want to become. by challenging us to acknowledge our ethical agency, while unpacking how the formation of ethics make their way into story, gregory brings awareness to an entire field left abandoned by academia ((at least, abandoned in my limited experience of academia)).

i am grateful and inspired by this book, particularly by the final chapters wherein gregory breaks down the difference between virtues:

physical virtue
social virtue
intellectual virtue
and
ethical virtue.

these distinctions helped me to see and experience the world through a more conscious and sharp lens.

[Sue Lyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is a strong argument for the power of stories to shape our ethical identity. Built on the premise that we can hardly take a step without narrating - how many stories have you told/heard today? - he argues for its centrality in all our lives and asks the question how do the stories we absorb in daily life influence the kind of person we turn out to be. Thoroughly recommend it,

[Bill Carrasco · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with the premise, but I disagree with a lot of the arguments. It's not a very rigorous study of narrative and Ethics, but I appreciate its existence. This is a good introduction to the value of narrative in our lives, especially for an undergraduate introductory course to literature.