De anima: An Exploration Using the Short Story

Abstract

In this project, I set out to illustrate each of the human faculties identified by Aristotle in his De anima in order to examine their role in shaping the perceptions of the individual: a conceptual, singular entity. In doing so, I ultimately strive to establish an understanding of the nature of what Aristotle calls the human soul, which is more likely known to the modern reader as the human psyche. In order to accomplish such a task, I have written a collection of five short stories. Each is an attempt to illustrate one faculty, in particular, of those listed by Aristotle as comprising the soul: desire, reason and understanding, imagination, memory, and emotion. Together, these stories form a collection which suggests that the soul is not only comprised of an individual’s faculties but is also intertwined with the souls of those who surround the singular individual.