What Aristotle Got Right about Storytelling

Photo courtesy of Douglas Vigliotti

Douglas Vigliotti is the author of the new book "Aristotle for Novelists: 14 Timeless Principles on the Art of Story." He says everything you need to know about storytelling can be found in the Ancient Greek philosopher's great treatise "Poetics," written over 2300 years ago.

In this episode, Vigliotti breaks down Aristotle's tried-and-true principles that have been used since antiquity to tell great stories, including the real difference between tragedies vs. comedies, the importance of the three-act structure, why every character needs both external and internal obstacles, how a character's fatal flaw drives the story, why plot solutions must arise from within the story itself, how consistency in style and point of view shapes the narrative, the critical difference between plot-driven versus character-driven stories.

Vigliotti also hosts the terrific podcast Books for Men and recommends his must-reads for 2025.