The Call of Stories: Teaching and the Moral Imagination [Paperback]

Robert Coles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 5, 1990

The Call of Stories presents a study of how listening to stories promotes learning and self-discovery.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Using the "documentary study or psychiatric anthropology" approach of his previous works, Coles presents conversations with college, law, and medical school students that focus on the moral impact of their reading. For Coles, the study of literature is not a purely intellectual exercise but an encounter with exempla that bear on everyday moral dilemmas, and he argues that these students have come to see characters in novels as "buddies" that "help them make choices," find a direction, identify moral hazards, and understand their private lives. The argument is interesting, but the most compelling part of this loosely organized book is Coles's own reflections on the development of his own commitment to the moral dimension of literature and his memories of W.C. Williams, L.E. Sissman, and others.
- Richard Kuczkowski, Dominican Coll., Blauvelt, N.Y.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Robert Coles is a winner of the National Medal of Freedom.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (January 5, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395528151
• ISBN-13: 978-0395528150
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Coles is professor emeritus at Harvard University and the author of numerous books, including his series Children of Crisis, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize. He has also won a MacArthur Award, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a National Humanities Medal. He lives in Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Teaching Morals through Literature, December 13, 1999

By 

Lisa S. (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Call of Stories: Teaching and the Moral Imagination (Paperback)

Coles introduction to his book begins with his own story of being raised by parents who were much engaged in reading the classics. His parents, his father in particular, stressed to him that novels contained wisdom that could guide one throughout life. This idea holds true throughout Coles' own life as he practices psychology and then becomes a teacher. In this book, he offers examples of how this principle has helped his patients, students, friends and family deal with times of crisis and times of growth. For Coles, every reader has his or her own powerful response to a writer's work. These responses generally result from recognition of the change in a character and can lead to moral introspection where the reader begins to identify similar changes in himself. As readers connect with the character, they are able to see the ethical considerations affecting the character's situation, learn about their responsibilities to themselves, friends and society, and can make adjustments in their own lives. Coles believes that the responses to these ethical questions make us who we are. Coles specifically mentions using the works of William Carlos Williams, Tilly Olsen, Ralph Ellison, Mark Twain, Dickens, Hardy, Tolstoy and many others in his psychology practice and as a professor at Harvard. He offers examples of the effects these novels had on his patients and his medical, law, business and architecture students because of their ability to engage a reader's growing intelligence and absorb the reader into the emotions of the story line. Further, they make the reader focus on moral development, which is especially important for students who believe that development of their ability to perform a task will protect them from moral danger. The thoughts and feelings that emerge for the reader bring back memories of the past which are then analyzed and expanded in the development of the reader's moral and emotional self.

14 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Confirmation of the transformative power of stories, October 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Call of Stories: Teaching and the Moral Imagination (Paperback)

Calling upon his own memories, experiences and those of his mentor, Dr. William Carlos Williams, Robert Coles wrote a much-needed about the transformative power of stories. In learning with students at all levels one finds Dr. Coles' faith in "moral imagination" and the "call of stories" borne out.