KEY IDEAS FROM CHAPTER 6

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1. ​Stories, characters, and conflicts are the primary way that people share insight on the complicated feelings, social interactions, and lived experiences of being human. By creating and consuming stories, we develop the ability to have empathy and compassion for others, and to better understand ourselves.

2. Authors rework timeless archetypes and plots and make important choices in deciding how to use different types of conflicts to hold audience interest and convey moral values. Because stories can reinforce or challenge the status quo, they can have an outsized impact on society and culture.

3. Tragic stories and media that activate negative emotions can help people deal with the deepest and most difficult aspects of human experience. But media stories often align with the values of the majority and often depict people whose use of violent force seems justified by the circumstances.

4. Fans are active audiences whose dynamic interaction with characters and narratives produce high levels of engagement, which can function as a form of cultural commentary. The doctrine of fair use gives copyright owners a lot of protection for their creative work, but also permits others to use their work without payment or permission when the benefit to society outweighs the cost to the owner. Because all creativity is combinatorial, such creative actions can lead to the generation of new stories and new forms of expression. In the future, the law of copyright will adapt to address new forms of creativity inspired by artificial intelligence.​