What is Narrative

Aesthetic sense is the source of narrative

- Narrative -

I have read several books on narrative so far, but I have yet to record most of them in my reading log.

That is because the concept of narrative has not quite clicked for me yet.

Yesterday, I wrote an article called "Aesthetic Sense."

In it, I defined aesthetic sense as "an evaluation function that makes consistent choices within the constraints of natural laws, external factors, and internal factors."

However, this article on "aesthetic sense" is a summary of concepts that emerged while I was trying to organize my thoughts on narrative. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you could consider this the first and second parts of my own conclusion on 'what is narrative' along with this article.

There is a Concept before Narrative

Narrative is generally translated as "story."
In recent years, it has been increasingly used in the fields of corporate management and marketing, and is often explained as "a narrative that includes experiences and values, not just facts."

Of course, that explanation is not wrong, but it alone cannot explain "why completely different narratives are born from the same event depending on the person."

I believe there is one more important thing before narrative.

That is "Concept."

A Concept is (as I wrote in the "aesthetic sense" article) a part with a single role, combined from multiple elements based on aesthetic sense within the constraints of natural laws, external factors, and internal factors.

For example, in the mind of a business owner, there are many Concepts such as "employees," "customers," "local community," "brand," and "profit." Of course, these are things that the owner has assembled, considering them the most beautiful under their own unique constraints.

However, they are not yet a narrative.
They are neither mere knowledge nor mere experience.
They are "parts of thought" structured by aesthetic sense.

Concepts are connected by Function

However, a narrative is not born from Concepts alone.

A narrative is formed by connecting Concept to Concept, but for them to connect naturally, the designer needs a necessity that allows them to feel 'there is meaning in this connection'.

For example, for the Concept of "employees" to progress to the Concept of "development," an action (necessity) such as "learning," "building trust," or "taking on challenges" is required in between.

I would like to call this action that connects Concepts 'Function'.

Concepts are the elements that make up a narrative, and Functions are the forces that drive those Concepts. Furthermore, a narrative only begins to move once you give names to those Concepts, decide what Functions to assign to the connections between Concepts, and determine where to start and end the story as a single narrative.

Who do you choose as the protagonist to tell the story?

For example, let's say a CEO is talking about their "company".

If the CEO makes themselves the protagonist, it becomes a story of founding, hardship, and success, but if they make the employees the protagonist, it becomes a story of talent development and growth. Alternatively, if they make the local community the protagonist, it becomes a story of employment and community contribution.

The purpose of talking about the company remains the same.

However, who you choose as the protagonist, which Concept you start from and which Concept you end with, and what Concepts you connect with what Functions and in what chronological order—all of these factors change the "narrative."

In other words, a narrative is not the events themselves, but rather a chronological structuring of the multiple Concepts you hold within yourself from a certain perspective.

I will say it again: in this article, "Concept" refers to a part with a single role, created by combining multiple elements based on aesthetic sense within the constraints of natural laws, external factors, and internal factors.

What is Narrative Telling?

Therefore, an excellent narrative teller is not simply someone who is good at talking.

They are someone who possesses multiple rich and high-quality Concepts and can reconstruct them chronologically to suit the listener.

Even when talking about the same "company," depending on whether you are speaking to investors, employees, or the local community, you change who you position as the protagonist.

You also decide whether to start talking from the "founding" Concept or the "business model" Concept, and whether to make the "current growth" Concept the ending or the "risk avoidance" Concept the ending.

And by controlling how you connect one Concept to another, you adjust the narrative structure (I would like to refer to this here as "Vladimir Propp's 31 Functions").

Only when these are all in place does the listener feel that "this is my story".

Trust with the Audience

An excellent narrative teller is likely someone who can instantly judge the situation they are in and carry out these decisions smoothly.

But that alone is not enough.
The relationship of trust between the narrative teller and the audience is also an important element. If a relationship of trust has not been built, you cannot even get the audience to stand at the entrance of the narrative in the first place.

I once wrote an essay about "credit and trust."

"Credit" is when someone who knows a person's past achievements makes a certain evaluation based on those achievements. Credit information from financial institutions is exactly that.

On the other hand, "trust" is when we make a certain evaluation by comparing a person's words, actions, appearance, expressions, and sometimes their plans, with our own (similar) experiences.

That is why "aesthetic sense" becomes important.
Aesthetic sense creates consistency, and consistency creates "credibility". This credibility creates a relationship of trust, which
brings the audience to the entrance of the narrative.

A narrative called narrative

Now, by writing this article, it can be said that a new "Concept" called "narrative" has been formed within me.

It is something that I have connected based on my own aesthetic sense, under the natural laws of the background I have grown up with, the external factors of the environment I am currently in, and the internal factors cultivated from the books I have read and the projects I have been involved in, all within these constraints, using parts such as "Gaudi," "Leonardo da Vinci," "Vladimir Propp," "logical thinking," and "cultural formation," based on my own aesthetic sense.

I believe I am good at chronologically telling the concepts I possess. Therefore, I will now be able to tell a narrative related to "narrative" at any time.