Neil Gaiman on How Stories Last

"Stories ... are genuinely symbiotic organisms that we live with, that allow human beings to advance." Stories have shapes, as Vonnegut believed, and they in turn give shape to our lives. But how do stories like the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm or Alice in Wonderland continue to enchant the popular imagination generation after generation — what is it that makes certain stories last?

http://www.brainpickings.org