I’ve read a handful of really sad stories lately. Some I knew would be sad or depressing going in. Others not so much. I read a short story that is probably the most depressing thing I’ve ever read and I was questioning to myself why did I even read that? What did I get out of it?
I’m honestly not sure of the answer. If someone asked me why I bother reading sad stories, I’m not sure what answer I would give. Part of it is I like to read a variety of things and my reading choices are well-rounded. I bounce from genre to genre and am open to almost anything as long as it’s well written or entertaining enough.
I’m just a fan of storytelling and even a sad story can be written in a compelling way. I guess that’s my answer, and I’d like to hear yours.
Why do you personally read sad or depressing stories? And why do people in general read stories like that?
by Comprehensive-Fun47
7 Comments
Catharsis.
I think most people enjoy experiencing evocative art, even if the emotions, feelings, thoughts, etc evoked are not always “positive” ones.
They help teach empathy
Often we suppress our own sadness, but can find an outlet by crying for someone else, real or fictional.
That said, there are some books that I can’t bring myself to reread even though I loved it the first time, because it’s just too sad. Somehow it’s worse when I know exactly what’s coming.
Because we are complex and our emotional life is complex. I like feeling that ‘depth’ if you will. A lot of sad stories are also very reflective and offer great inside or a certain outlook. It’s hard to put into words without making it sound pretentious lol
My depression took away my ability to cry, but for some reason a sad book can still make me cry even though nothing else can. It feels kinda good to cry every once in awhile.
Sad stories feel more “real”. Like 90%+ of media (not just books only but other media like movies etc) ends in a situation where everything works out in the end and the good person/people win. Even nonfiction is full of survivorship bias. After reading a few of these books, it feels like one is living in denial of how the world is.