My Favorite Stories About... Stories

reflections on storytelling and the impact that narrative has in our lives

Welcome! This is a new series I’m starting out where I put together a list of my favorite media (books, shows, movies, etc.) that share some theme or element in common. For this first edition, I’m going to talk about media that deals with storytelling in various ways. Some of these stories focus on the craft, what it takes to be a storyteller and the relationship between the teller and the tale; on the other hand, some of the things here deal with the impact that stories have on our lives—what narratives do we participate in and perpetuate, what stories do we believe in, how do these stories affect our reality, etc.

This is not a ranking and not a definitive list. As a writer, storytelling is obviously a very important part of my life and I gravitate towards stories about that, so I’m likely going to find more things that belong here. In the future, as I continue with this series, I may revisit some of these lists, but for now, these are my favorite stories about… stories.

The Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke.

Writing stories is a kind of magic, too.

This fantasy trilogy¹ follows Mo and Maggie Folchart, a father and daughter duo who have the unique ability of bringing characters from books into the real world when they read aloud. As expected of a story with such a premise, the Inkheart trilogy focuses on the magical power that books have on people, how books can change someone’s life, and the relationship between an author, their work, and their readers.

One of the things I love about Inkheart is the love that the author has for the fantasy genre, which shines through the entire time. This series isn’t just about the transformative power of literature, it’s specifically about the ways in which fantasy can inspire people to be the best version of themselves.

The Heike Story.

I’ll witness it, and put my prayers into my biwa playing.

The show is an adaptation of a Japanese epic that describes the rise and fall of the Taira clan, from the perspective of Biwa, a young minstrel that is taken in by the Taira and bears witness to their fate.

I like how the show explores the burden of the storyteller through Biwa’s struggle to accept the fate of the Taira clan and then committing to her role as the one that will carry on their story for future generations. Biwa acts as an audience surrogate, her actions leave no impact on the narrative, yet there would be no narrative without her. The show also reminds us that the way we look at the past is shaped by the stories that have been passed down, and whoever tells the tale can shape how that history is seen and understood.

Black Sails.

A story is true. A story is untrue. As time extends, it matters less and less. The stories we want to believe… those are the ones that survive, despite upheaval and transition and progress. Those are the stories that shape history. And then what does it matter if it was true when it was born? It's found truth in its maturity…

Black Sails is a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, following the lives of John Silver and James Flint and their fight against the forces of the British Empire. The show mixes fictional characters with real-life pirates and creates a rich and complex narrative about the conflict between freedom and civilization.

This is my favorite show of all time, and that’s in big part thanks to the focus given to the power of stories. Every character in the show is defined by stories—the ones they tell about themselves, the ones that the world tells about them, the stories they choose to believe in and the ones they use to manipulate others. History is written by the winners, and they decide who’s the villain and who’s the hero. The characters in Black Sails are fighting against the British Empire, but they are also fighting against the narrative that the Empire has created around them. There’s power in the telling of a story, and that power can be utilized to change the world.

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