When you look at all forms of art, literature and music some kind of narrative is evident. It could be a narrative within the piece that allows us to follow, like the plot of a novel. Of course, some narratives can be obscure and so the overall process of an author or artist becomes the narrative that we cling to. Even post-modern and contemporary work that attempts to defy this tendency ultimately results in us delving further into our imaginations to create a narrative.
Beyond cultural work, this pattern of creating narratives is constantly in effect. Our relationships with friends, co-workers and family are formed with narrative structures. You may meet someone, begin to like them, become friends, have a fight and repair your friendship or any number of possibilities. We even create plots for ourselves. When starting a new job, it is like a new chapter or section of your narrative, another small segment that makes up the narrative of your life. Projecting these narratives is never a straight forward affair as we often show an ideal narrative of ourselves, rather than one based on fact.
It is very easy to become completely engulfed in these 'fictional' narratives. People constantly idealise their own narratives or spend their entire lives engulfed in other narratives. This creation is a major part of our humanity and seems to be a unique process for our species. It follows that our species is unique in that it constantly reinvents itself beyond the truth in order to feel more comfortable with itself.
It all amounts to a narrative over-stimulation.
The English Student
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