Universal Stories: Evolutionary Theory, Archetypes and Literature

Universals in literature, i.e. common patterns in human narratives across time and cultures, represent an understudied topic, especially concerning their origins. In this thesis we will discuss what these universals are, the classification attempts that have been made, and the different theories that could explain their origin. The conclusions of the thesis particularly address the question of their origin. At the end we will propose a hypothetical solution to it, making a symbiosis between disciplines from the humanities, psychology, evolutionary theory and neuroscience.