"Stories are different every time you tell them - they allow so many possible narratives"
About this Quote
Stories are living acts rather than fixed objects. Each telling brings a new rhythm, a fresh emphasis, a different sequence of cause and effect, shaped by the teller’s shifting memory, changing audience, and the present moment’s concerns. David Antin, the poet and performance artist known for his improvisational talk pieces, built his practice on this insight. He would speak extemporaneously before an audience, letting associations lead the way, then later transcribe and reshape the talk. The same anecdote resurfaced with new connections, proving that narrative is a process, not a product.
Such variability is not evidence of unreliability but of generative power. Memory is reconstructive; it gathers fragments and arranges them according to what matters now. A story told to a friend for consolation is not the same as a story told on a stage to provoke thought, or to oneself to make sense of loss. The facts may overlap, yet the meaning, tone, and moral pivot. By acknowledging so many possible narratives, Antin resists the notion of a single authoritative version. He aligns with a broader modern and postmodern understanding that language does not just mirror reality; it makes worlds, and different tellings open different paths through them.
There is an ethical dimension here. Multiple tellings can democratize experience, inviting listeners to participate, question, and add their own strands. In Antin’s performances, audience reactions subtly redirected the flow, making storytelling a collaborative act. Multiplicity also matters for culture: contested histories and personal identities are not best served by one locked narrative but by an evolving chorus that can adapt to new evidence and new needs.
Far from diluting truth, this openness refines it. Retellings test what holds up, what needs revision, and what still resonates. A story that can be told many ways survives by discovering what it must keep and what it can change, staying alive to the present while honoring the past.
Such variability is not evidence of unreliability but of generative power. Memory is reconstructive; it gathers fragments and arranges them according to what matters now. A story told to a friend for consolation is not the same as a story told on a stage to provoke thought, or to oneself to make sense of loss. The facts may overlap, yet the meaning, tone, and moral pivot. By acknowledging so many possible narratives, Antin resists the notion of a single authoritative version. He aligns with a broader modern and postmodern understanding that language does not just mirror reality; it makes worlds, and different tellings open different paths through them.
There is an ethical dimension here. Multiple tellings can democratize experience, inviting listeners to participate, question, and add their own strands. In Antin’s performances, audience reactions subtly redirected the flow, making storytelling a collaborative act. Multiplicity also matters for culture: contested histories and personal identities are not best served by one locked narrative but by an evolving chorus that can adapt to new evidence and new needs.
Far from diluting truth, this openness refines it. Retellings test what holds up, what needs revision, and what still resonates. A story that can be told many ways survives by discovering what it must keep and what it can change, staying alive to the present while honoring the past.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
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