Most readers expect and want to read a story. There are some short stories that have very little action and consist largely of description, but generally they are not popular.
George P. Upton has written: 'The standard light operas, their plots and their music' -- subject(s): Operetta, Operas, Stories, plots 'The standard oratorios' -- subject(s): Oratorio 'The Song, Its Birth, Evolution, and Functions, With Numerous Selections from Old English Lyrics' 'The standard operas' -- subject(s): Operas, Stories, plots, Stories, plots, etc 'In music land' -- subject(s): Musicians, Juvenile literature 'The standard symphonies' -- subject(s): Symphony 'The standard opera guide' -- subject(s): Operas, Analytical guides, Music, Stories, plots, etc, Stories, plots 'The standard cantatas' -- subject(s): Cantatas, History and criticism, Stories, plots 'The standard operas' -- subject(s): Operas, Stories, plots 'The standard cantatas' -- subject(s): Cantatas, History and criticism, Cantates, Stories, plots
Francesco Savelloni has written: 'La spiaggia nel deserto' -- subject(s): Criticism and interpretation, Stories, plots, Stories, plots, etc
Megumi Nagatsuka has written: 'Bungaku meicho 300-sen no kaisetsu' -- subject(s): Literature, Stories, plots, Stories, plots, etc
Wilderness Plots Songs and Stories of the Prairie - 2009 TV is rated/received certificates of: USA:TV-G
People pay attention to stories.
Paul England has written: 'Favorite operas by Italian and French composers' -- subject(s): Operas, Stories, plots 'Fifty favorite operas' -- subject(s): Operas, Stories, plots
James Smith Douglas has written: 'The small town in American drama, 1900-1940' -- subject(s): American drama, History and criticism, Stories, plots, Stories, plots, etc
Wenyang Huang has written: 'Qu hai zong mu ti yao' -- subject(s): Bibliography, Chinese drama, Qu (Chinese literature), Stories, plots, Stories, plots, etc
Johannes. Jansen has written: 'Oper' -- subject(s): Operas, Stories, plots, Stories, plots, etc 'Aegidienberger Familienbuch 1666-1875' -- subject(s): Registers of births, Genealogy 'Lost in London'
Jane Rosenberg has written: 'Sing Me a Story' -- subject(s): Accessible book, Juvenile literature, Operas, Stories, plots 'Dance Me a Story' -- subject(s): Ballets, Juvenile literature, Stories, plots
George Newlin has written: 'Understanding A tale of two cities' -- subject(s): History, Literature and the revolution, Sources 'Everyone and everything in Trollope' -- subject(s): Characters, Handbooks, manuals, Settings, Stories, plots 'Everyone in Dickens' -- subject(s): Characters, Plots, Stories, plots
Shakespeare mostly retold stories other people had written down. The only stories which appear to have been original are the plots of The Tempest and A Midsummer Night's Dream.