It's never just a story: DaVinci Code-inspired thoughts on the influence of stories

Many years ago, the ad for a horror movie advised, when the movie got too intense, just keep repeating “It’s only a movie, it’s only a movie…” Lots of people have similar advice in responding to the horror show that is The DaVinci Code. Just keep repeating “It’s only a novel. It’s just a work of fiction. It doesn’t prove anything.”

Except, of course, it’s never just a story.

Stories shape the way we see reality. They shape our perception of who we are and where we come from. That influence may be helpful or harmful, but it is never nonexistent.

Consider for a moment how many people believe they know something about the plight of children in Victorian London. Do they know that because they’ve studied historical documents of the time? Have they researched the sociology of the 19th century? Or have they read the stories of Charles Dickens?

Or consider how many people believe they know what life was like in the 17th and 18th century puritan New England colonies. It that because they’ve studied the history? Or is it because they’ve read the 19th century stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne?

When people evaluate the role of preachers who lead mass evangelism rallies, do they think of the real figure Billy Graham, or the fictional character Elmer Gantry?

The power of film to shape our perceptions of reality is even more powerful. Consider the influence of Leni Riefenstahl’s films (like Triumph of the Will and Olympia) on perceptions of Germany in the 30s. Or the influence of Sergi Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin on perceptions of the Russian Revolution. Or the influence of DW Griffiths’s Birth of a Nation on perceptions of southern reconstruction in the 19th century.

At one time or another (and for some even to this day), all these films have been censored or restricted or protested. People felt they had to fight to keep these films from shaping public views on these topics. They didn’t say “it’s only a movie.” They said “this movie is dangerous.”

Aboriginal cultures recognised the importance of the tribe storyteller. The storyteller shaped the tribe’s sense of who they were and how they were to live. They gave the storyteller special respect, but also expected the storyteller to hold firmly to the traditions. We should expect the same from our storytellers.

It’s not just a story – in a sense it’s never just a story. Our stories shape our sense of who we are. We need to be sure the stories reflect reality, because it does matter if they don’t.