ABSTRACT
The reason we find recurring patterns in the stories we tell is that storytelling fulfills a biological or evolutionary imperative that we have as individuals and as a species. That need arises from the unique character of the human animal, the desire to learn about ourselves and our place in the universe. Aristotle introduces two concepts to explore how storytelling addresses this need: mimesis, the desire to learn through representation, and catharsis, the desire to purge our emotions. Together, these concepts lead to the precept: To tell a good story effectively, we must a) show our audience something universal of themselves and their world reflected back to them, and b) through that identification, give them an emotional experience.
