As I have previously mentioned, English students are also prone to over-analysis of mundane patterns. That said, two contemporary, popular narratives have garnered my attention both in the long term and short. These are, of course, sports and politics.
The narratives of sport are absolutely amazing. They can be adversarial between two or more people or teams or competitive against a form of measurement, or indeed both. The sub plots, detail and spin on these events has become big business for media and betting outlets. With good reason too, as I believe that some of the most fascinating and sincerely compelling narratives can be found in sport. This is partially, I believe, due to the involvement of the person actually watching the sport and due to the unknowability of the outcome. Fans wish to watch every match of their chosen sport, as they are very aware that any match could create a classic narrative.
Politics has a more obvious narrative, with political parties contending with each other and socio-economic issues. I have consistently found that my interest in political narratives in countries has waxed and waned depending on my proximity to the political system. At times, I feel too close to the political system in the country that I occupy. At these times, political decisions have direct ramifications for the lives of people that I know and as such, cannot be taken lightly. Indeed, politics should never be taken lightly. Despite, or indeed because of the serious of these issues I find the political wrangling of parties to be an extremely fruitful source of narrative.
Perhaps if I spent more time studying literature than sporting and political narratives then I would be more worthy of my name!
-Then English Student
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