There are many "layers" to the story.

[Alexey86]

Hello! I was reading a movie review (https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0254148/?ref_=tt_urv) and saw the sentence I put in the title. Would you please explain to me the use of "to" in the example? I mean, why not "in the story"?

 

[teechar]

Your first port of call in such situations should be a reliable dictionary.
For example, if you look at the page for "to" in the following link, you'll find the explanation you're looking for under entry #6 for "to" as a preposition.

https://www.lexico.com/definition/to

It means about, regarding or concerning.

 

[Alexey86]

Maybe my question isn't clear. I'm not saying I don't understand the meaning of "to" here. What I don't understand is why "to" with such a meaning was used in the sentence. Aren't the layers in the story? The story (its message) is multilayered. The message is in the story, so do its layers, don't they?

 

[Tarheel]

Maybe my question isn't clear. I'm not saying I don't understand the meaning of "to" here. What I don't understand is why "to" with such a meaning was used in the sentence. Aren't the layers in the story? The story (its message) is multilayered. The message is in the story, so are its layers, aren't they?

Probably so.

 

[teechar]

I see what you mean. The word "layers" is probably not the best choice in that sentence. A better word might have been "aspects", or "dimensions". However, the meaning is clear as it stands.

 

[GoesStation]

I see what you mean. The word "layers" is probably not the best choice in that sentence. A better word might have been "aspects", or "dimensions". However, the meaning is clear as it stands.

Layers works perfectly for me. Layers to the story means "the story consists of many layers". Change that to "in" and the phrase means it contains many layers.

 

[Alexey86]

However, the meaning is clear as it stands.

The use of "to" is still not clear to me. If a book included many stories, I would never say, "There are many stories to the book." It would be ungrammatical, right? What is not clear to me is why "There are many stories in the book" and "There are many layers/aspects/dimensions to the story" use different prepositions.

 

[Alexey86]

Layers to the story means "the story consists of many layers". Change that to "in" and the phrase means it contains many layers.

I'm not sure I understand the difference. The wall consists of many bricks => There are many bricks in the wall. "To the wall" would be ungrammatical, right?

 

[teechar]

No. This is not about one thing containing another. "To" is being used to talk about aspects, facets or ways of looking at/analyzing/interpreting something.

 

[tedmc]

I would look at it this way - the layering is one aspect of the story, amongst others. It is an attribute, something that is tagged or linked to it closely, but not inside it.

Take a look at this idiom where "to" is used for the same reason.