Storylife

Joel P. Christensen is professor of Classical and Early Mediterranean Studies at Brandeis University. He is the author of The Many-Minded Man: The “Odyssey,” Psychology, and the Therapy of Epic and coauthor of Homer: A Beginner’s Guide. He lives in Medford, MA.

“Christensen’s engaging style and stimulating ventures through a wide range of academic perspectives are certain to appeal to a much wider audience. Such projects are especially vital in our historical moment when one of the most common biological terms applied to the field of classics (and indeed the humanities more broadly) is ‘extinction.’”—Courtney J. P. Friesen, Current“A powerful book. . . . Intellectually stimulating and ethically compelling in equal measure.”—John Holmes, British Society for Literature and Science“Written with great learning and elegance, this stunningly original book changes not only how we think about Greek epic but how stories make and break us in the present as well as the past.”—Candida Moss, author of God’s Ghostwriters“Weaving effortlessly between the biological sciences and literary criticism, Storylife trains its sights on the many-sided potencies of narrative. Faithful to the lessons of the Homeric epics, Storylife cautions us to be wary of narrative’s Siren-like capacity to bewitch. A stirring account of storytelling’s dynamism and allure.”—Dan-el Padilla Peralta, author of Classicism and Other Phobias“Storylife asks compelling questions about stories and how they change. Written with a touching humanity, it focuses on Homer but reflects on a broad range of topics, from cognitive science to ChatGPT, from education to Covid-19.”—Helen Morales, author of Antigone Rising“A fascinating exploration of the role of story in how we conceive our selves and construe our worlds.”—Mark Turner, author of The Literary Mind: The Origins of Thought and Language“Storylife is a beautifully written, wide-ranging book about narratives. It’s not often you encounter Homer under the same cover as DNA and neuroscience. But Joel Christensen makes it work. I highly recommend Storylife.”—Joseph LeDoux, author of The Deep History of Ourselves and The Four Realms of Existence