But there are also cute poems, and, as you'd expect from the author of The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom, a strong narrative with universal themes of friendship and being the odd one out.
If we find a tendency to value a white man's narrative as "universal" and "sweeping" while a woman's or black person's is perceived as merely representative of a niche culture, we must learn to adjust for our prejudices and treat all voices as equally valid representations of America.
In sum, although I wouldn't claim that four-part narratives are universal to all story genres, they are certainly widespread and long-standing.
I first sketch out the evolving relationships between the state, space, and nationalism in Russia and China while paying close attention to how longstanding narratives of universal and civilizational nationalism in each country are unfolding in a globalizing, deterritorializing world.
Maybe it means that we can openly contest a construction of Jewish identity based on supporting the obstruction of Palestinian freedom, with a Jewish counter-narrative of universal human liberation.
But a studio executive must have said: "Let's turn this story into a universal narrative that will stand re-watching for ever because it portrays cynical but peaceful people in the depths of a dilemma about when, why and who to fight".
There is also the universal narrative of an underdog fighting to survive in a sport dominated by extremely wealthy teams.
The obvious problem with trying to fashion a universal narrative here is that Thatcher's experiences were so extraordinary.
We are in a moonlit space gathering to hear a universal narrative that is profound, enlightening and uplifting.
It also turns out that, while musical idioms sometimes have a hard time crossing the barriers of language and culture, certain narrative clichés are universal.
The version of the universal narrative that Byatt found in Asgard and the Gods was unremittingly violent, its outcome inconsolably bleak.
