The Natural History of Narratives: how stories evolve, spread and survive - and how they decay and die , 11 September

The Natural History of Narratives: how stories evolve, spread and survive - and how they decay and die

Newcastle Skeptics

Highlights

Thu, 11 Sep, 2025 at 07:30 pm

Tyneside Irish Centre

Advertisement

Date & Location

Thu, 11 Sep, 2025 at 07:30 pm (BST)

Tyneside Irish Centre

Gallowgate Club & Institute, 43 Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4SG, United Kingdom

Save location for easier access

Only get lost while having fun, not on the road!

About the event

The Natural History of Narratives: how stories evolve, spread and survive - and how they decay and die
Storytelling is a universal human behaviour and a unique characteristic of our species. This talk will begin by discussing how our capacity to imagine and share fictional worlds was central to the evolution of human sociality and culture, before turning to some of the recurrent themes and plots that are found in diverse traditions around the world.

Professor Jamie Tehrani will focus especially on so-called “international folktales”, which include such tales as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Beauty and the Beast. He will show that cross-cultural patterns of continuity and variation in these folktales reflect basic evolutionary processes of mutation, selection, and inheritance as they get transmitted from generation to generation and spread into new “habitats”. He will also show how variations in the plots and characters of these stories can be analysed in a similar way to sequences of DNA, enabling us to reconstruct the deep history and dispersal of these traditions. He will end by reflecting on some of the wider implications of this research for understanding the cultural success and stability of traditional stories, what they can tell us about the past, and the complex relationships between patterns of cultural, linguistic, and genetic inheritance.


You may also like the following events from Newcastle Skeptics:

Also check out other Trips & Adventurous Activities in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

interested
Stay in the loop for updates and never miss a thing. Are you interested?
Yes
No

Ticket Info

Tickets for The Natural History of Narratives: how stories evolve, spread and survive - and how they decay and die can be booked here.

Advertisement

Nearby Hotels

Tyneside Irish Centre, Gallowgate Club & Institute, 43 Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4SG, United Kingdom

Just a heads up!

We have gathered all the information for you in one convenient spot, but please keep in mind that these are subject to change. We do our best to keep everything updated, but something might be out of sync. For the latest updates, always check the official event details by clicking the "Find Tickets" button.

The Natural History of Narratives: how stories evolve, spread and survive - and how they decay and die , 11 September
The Natural History of Narratives: how stories evolve, spread and survive - and how they decay and die
Thu, 11 Sep, 2025 at 07:30 pm