Universal

Whether a story was written in the past, written today, set in the future, or in another realm, they connect with us when we can relate to them. In fact, we become more engaged in the story when there is a familiarity or bond with the characters and the conflicts.

When characters go through something we’ve gone through before, a connection is made by how it speaks to our humanity. Our humanity is not just a set of experiences, but ones that revolve around themes–or values. Those themes can be about good and evil, truth and deception, triumph or suffering, etc.

When we make connections with the characters, we see ourselves in their shoes. We become invested in their plight, become part of the story. We hope nothing bad happens to the protagonist, that the conclusion will be a positive one. When this happens, the story has an almost mysterious bond with our psyche. It’s as if that fictional world has become a reality–a world that is like our own not in concrete terms, but in universal ones.