ABSTRACT
EVERYBODY LOVES A GOOD STORY. Whether it is told on the big theaterscreen, performed as an opera, or read from the tattered pages of a favorite childhood story book, we all enjoy participating in storytelling and story-receiving in differing ways throughout our lives. My life is no exception. While growing up on a small farm, I spent many evenings huddled in the large, well-used armchair by the fireplace, absorbed in a tale of fiction. I loved to read, and through reading I participated in the most gallant and tragic of human quests; from climbing Mount Everest to sailing across the world to conquer unknown lands, I was there, really, taking part in these noble adventures! Stories have that effect on us: they take us to the action, transform us into one of the participants, and draw us into the intrigue that seeks to be resolved.
