On Stories

Richard Kearney, Department Of Philosophy, Dublin University.

'Like the best philosophy, and the best intellectual history, this is serious stuff dealt with a light hand.' - Roy Foster, The Guardian'[Richard Kearney's] argument that appreciating story is an essential part of being human is strong and true.' - The Guardian'Like the best philosophy, and the best intellectual history, this is serious stuff dealt with a light hand.' - Roy Foster, The Guardian'Kearney's chief virtue has always been pedagogical, as a gifted storyteller of ideas, and this work is no exception. The first and final parts are exemplary in this respect, providing a concise and morally robust defence of the importance of structured narratives for the way we make sense of our past, present and future ' - Michael Cronin, The Irish Times'A paean to storytelling...The voice is clear, humane and level-headed. Kearney serves as an guide through this brief history of the ways stories have worked, for better or for worse, in our lives.' - Molly McLoskey, The Sunday Tribune

• Where do Stories Come From? Part One 1 Where do Stories Come From? Three Case Histories: Daedalus, Dora, Schindler Part Two 2 From History to Story: The Case of Stephen Daedalus 3Whose Story is it Anyway? The Case of Dora 4 Testifying to History: The Case of Schindler 5 The Paradox of Testimony National Narratives: Rome, Britain, America Part Three 6 Introduction 7 Roman Foundation Myths: Aeneas and Romulus 8Britain and Ireland: A Tale of Siamese Twins 9 America and its ‘Others’: Frontier Stories 10 Conclusion: Border Crossings Narrative Matters Part Four 11 Narrative Matters