Stories Shape Souls
Stories have always been central to human formation. They shape the moral imagination, help us wrestle with questions of meaning, and uncover common ground we wouldn’t otherwise see. From myths to novels, films, and even comic books, stories are organs of meaning. As C.S. Lewis writes, ”reason is the natural organ of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning. Imagination, producing new metaphors or revivifying old, is not the cause of truth, but its condition.”
Scene from Narnia
Writers such as C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Flannery O’Connor understood this power. Lewis described stories as “stealing past watchful dragons,” awakening us to truths in a way reason alone cannot. Hannah More, the namesake of our sister company MORE Productions, used her “Cheap Repository Tracts” to inspire social reform in the 18th century. And even today, story is multifaceted and fundamental. It does all these things:
Story shapes the moral imagination and is a tool for virtue formation, as with William Wilberforce’s colleague Hannah More that furthered their “Reformation of Manners” movement.
It develops a shared narrative for society, which Jonathan Haidt has noted is more difficult as our media has become fractured and fragmented.
It baptizes our imagination as it did Lewis’s, opening our souls to the mystery and yearning that come when we are “surprised by joy” through story.
It echoes the One True Myth, allowing us to encounter the true Aslan in our own stories.
It revivifies the familiar. As Lewis wrote “takes all the things we know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by ‘the veil of familiarity.’”
It gives us purpose, prepares us for the challenges of life, and inspires us to be courageous and take risks.
It nurtures empathy toward others.
And last but not least, story entertains us, allows us to escape, laugh, and cry, and gives us pleasure.
Henri Nouwen said that “A story that guides is a story that opens a door and offers space in which to search and boundaries to help us find what we seek, but it does not tell us what to do or how to do it. The story brings us into touch with the vision and so guides us.”
Inspired by the power of story, in 2024 we launched a graphic novel, Salt and Light Stories, that shares the lives of modern-day “saints”– people who have inspired us by their pursuit of the common good and the welfare of their cities. Through our ten completed mini-comics, we hope to use story to guide Generations Z and Alpha, who are increasingly drawn to story and imagination, toward a pursuit of the common good in a divided culture.
Stories Shape Souls, by Salt and Light Stories
This month in Salt & Light Stories, we’re exploring the lives of gifted storytellers themselves and considering how story guides us, opening our eyes to truth and allowing us to better pursue the common good. Read the full essay, Stories Shape Souls, on Salt & Light Stories Substack, and click here to read the comic pages released so far.
As we shared when we first launched this project, it is a grand experiment – we’d love for you to join us by subscribing to our Substack page, free of charge. We are excited to bring you these stories that have a profound impact on us.
