The Call of Stories: Teaching and the Moral Imagination

Robert Coles explores the profound relationship between narrative literature and moral development in The Call of Stories, examining how stories shape ethical understanding and human character. Drawing from his experiences as a psychiatrist and educator at Harvard, Coles argues that literary narratives possess a unique capacity to cultivate moral imagination by engaging readers emotionally and intellectually with complex ethical situations. His work challenges the dominance of abstract moral philosophy in ethics education, proposing instead that stories offer irreplaceable resources for moral formation.

The monograph presents extensive case studies from Coles's teaching career, demonstrating how works by authors such as Tolstoy, Eliot, and Williams enable students to grapple with fundamental questions about human nature, suffering, and transcendence. Coles contends that great literature functions as a form of moral inquiry, presenting characters who face ultimate concerns including death, meaning, and the possibility of redemption. Through close readings and student responses, he illustrates how narrative engagement fosters empathy and ethical reflection in ways that theoretical discourse cannot achieve.

Significantly, Coles addresses the spiritual dimensions of storytelling without advocating for any particular religious position. He examines how literature explores experiences of grace, forgiveness, and moral transformation that often invoke transcendent themes. The work engages implicitly with debates about secular versus religious approaches to ethics, suggesting that stories bridge this divide by addressing spiritual questions through concrete human experiences rather than doctrinal assertions.

The monograph's methodology combines clinical observation, pedagogical reflection, and literary analysis, representing an interdisciplinary approach to moral education. Coles draws on psychoanalytic insights while maintaining distance from reductionist psychological interpretations of literature. His emphasis on the irreducibility of narrative meaning positions the work against both religious fundamentalism and secular rationalism, proposing instead that stories offer a distinctive mode of moral knowledge.

The Call of Stories contributes to discussions about the sources of moral authority in contemporary society. By arguing for literature's essential role in ethical formation, Coles challenges both religious traditions that privilege scriptural texts and secular philosophies that emphasize rational argumentation. His work suggests that the moral imagination developed through literary engagement provides crucial resources for navigating ethical complexities in pluralistic contexts. The monograph remains influential in debates about moral education, particularly regarding how individuals develop ethical sensibilities beyond formal religious or philosophical instruction.