Look After Your Mind – Narrative Intelligence part 2.
Narrative intelligence is the ability to recognise patterns common in fiction and to apply them to other kinds of information such as that found in science, politics and the media. In other words, a narratively intelligent person makes sense of the world by noting the story-like quality of ideas and events that feature elements such as a hero, a villain, a problem, help, knowledge and power and an objective. Take a topic currently in the news and try mapping these narrative elements on to the story.
Another important aspect of a narrative (the word deriving from the Latin narratus, ‘coming to know’) is the journey the hero or heroes take in trying to resolve a problem created by the villain. This is known as the basic narrative template. Imagine the figure 8 lying on its side. The left-hand lobe represents the familiar everyday world of our everyday experience. The right-hand lobe however, marks an unfamiliar area of challenge, risk and danger; the ‘unknown realm’.
The Start of the Hero’s Journey
The hero’s journey begins at the top of the left lobe – he’s on top of the world you might say. As the problem arises, the hero is drawn into danger, moving down and right towards the crossover point. Here the hero’s resolve is challenged by his or her first brush with danger.
At the crossover point itself lurks the ‘threshold guardian’, a person or event that further tests the hero’s mettle. Usually the hero overcomes the confrontation but may be damaged. In any case, he or she keeps plunging down into further hazards. They reach a point of lowest ebb where, it seems, the situation cannot get worse. But the hero fights on and things seem to be getting better.
Though now the hero is as far from home as she can be. Progress seems to be being made and the hero reaches the top of the right-hand lobe. This is called the point of false hope and soon other issues crop up. The problem is not yet resolved and the hero plunges down into further adversity. They meet again the same or a different threshold guardian.
A final twist
However, the hero is now on his way home and the villain is largely defeated. But at the midpoint of the left-hand lobe there lies a sting in the tail (or the tale); some final peril that must be faced before the villain is indeed defeated finally and balance and harmony are restored to the world. The problem is resolved…
Note though that resolved means re-solved, solved again. Because there will always be villains in the world creating problems that result in the everlasting need for brave people to step up to the challenge. Also, clearly, while we are presented with world events in story form, the hero or heroes’ journey can be much more torturous than I’ve described it here and, alas, with no guarantee of ultimate success.
Steve Bowkett
Harborough Offerings
