Before the pandemic I didn’t read fiction. Not at all. But while I was shut up at home with nothing to do, I began to dive into some classic novels. From reading books like War and Peace, The Old Man and the Sea, and The Portrait of Dorian Grey, I sparked a love of fiction that has stayed with me since. Don’t get me wrong, I still read non-fiction too. But now I always have a fiction book on the go at the same time.
I know a lot of people that are so set on reading non-fiction that they neglect the whole genre of fiction. So I’m writing this for all those people who need to be reminded why a good novel can be so valuable.
Learning
A lot of people that only read non-fiction do so because they believe they cannot learn anything from fiction. That’s why they don’t read it. I think that’s completely wrong. You just learn in a different way. In the case of non-fiction we learn by being taught, but with fiction we learn through experience. Certain studies have even shown that the personality and dialogue of a novel can easily creep into our real lives.
On that point, we have all heard the expression “you are the average of the five people you spend most time with“. Well some of those five people could be characters from a book. And as the study found, the dialogue of these characters starts to play inside our heads. Just as a conversation with a friend would.
New Experiences
Another great thing about fiction is that it allows us to experience things we may not otherwise have the chance to.
Firstly, we can experience more of the things that we can do in life. Nobody never has the resources to do everything they want. So fiction allows us to sail the Croatian seas at 10 years old, climb mount Everest at 80 years old and even take part in a great battle. All from the comfort of our own home.
Secondly, through fiction we can experience things that are impossible in reality. We can enter the world of fantasy where Wizards go to school and wardrobes lead to mystical lands. Or we can go back in time to live through the Napoleonic invasion of Russia from the perspective of the bourgeois. There are limits to reality that simply aren’t there in fiction.
Moral Lessons
Stories also make for a great medium for teaching moral lessons. It’s why we use stories to educate children. Instead of saying don’t talk to strangers, we tell them about Hansel and Gretel. Or instead of warning them about being too greedy, we tell them how it turned out for Icarus and his melting wings.
As we get older, we don’t stop learning moral lessons. The lessons just get more complex and the stories more intricate. It’s one reason why fiction still has so much to offer.
Relaxing
I’m my opinion the best reason to read fiction is because it relaxes you! No doubt you are reading this thinking “what can fiction do for me”. But the fact is that doing something just because we like to do it is reason enough. We shouldn’t get too caught up in being productive all the time, and always learning something. Sometimes you just want to tuck into a good book and drift away, and that’s OK.
Improves Empathy
Finally, if you spend any time researching why fiction is beneficial, you’ll soon come across this study. It shows that reading fiction increases empathy, open-mindedness and an understanding of other people. It’s the most well documented and proven benefit of reading fiction. Simply put, reading fiction makes you a better person. We consider others feelings more and are less stubborn in our views.
Who doesn’t want a world with more of that?