So, a friend of mine recently asked me a question. The one question that non-fiction readers love, and fiction readers hate.
“What’s the point of reading fiction? I mean, I’d just read read non-fiction. You know, *learn* something?”
This irritates me so much. Help me out here, people. Tell me, what’s the point – fun – to gain – by reading fiction? I’m an avid fiction lover, and I really want to answer this question.
by TheNightmareWeilder
17 Comments
Fiction can give you the ability to walk in someone else’s shoes, feel their heart, know their thoughts, and look at the world through alien eyes.
Perspective is valuable.
“What do you watch on television? Oh, really? How come you’re not just watching documentaries?”
I’d probably walk away from the conversation if someone asked me that.
It’s the antidote to social media – on social media everyone pretends their perfect. When you read fiction, you see that all your jealousies, insecurities, mood swings and imperfections are totally normal
“Cuz i like it” is a simple short answer. Also you do not need to explain people why you love something, specially if it’s not hurting anyone.
I think it’s because a good story truly moves us out of this world into the writers. I LOVE a great story. I mean, before books, storytelling was a social thing. Fiction teaches us, intrigues us, inspires us. Also, nonfiction. Patooie! Lol
Readers of fiction are perceptive and have a deeper and better understanding of what motivates people to do what they do than any in-person interaction could. Readers of fiction learn to deduce, problem solve, put things into perspective, and think critically on a number of topics. The people I know who don’t read fiction or anything at all tend to have shockingly low emotional intelligence.
Because I know I can use more empathy. Why don’t you read fiction?
To learn about people and the human experience. There’s so much that people experience that can only be effectively communicated and understood through fiction. Fiction is such a great avenue to be exposed to life experiences that oppose or challenge your own.
“you watch movies, right? I read books. next question.”
Fictional storytelling is one of the oldest forms of art…fables, legends, myths, etc. But reading an encyclopedia again is fun too I guess.
Reading isn’t only about absorbing knowledge. I read to be inspired, to enjoy well-crafted prose, to think outside of reality for a little while. And I do learn things while I read fiction; some authors put a great deal of research into their work.
I’m a little worried that people think you can only learn from non fiction. Are they not capable of learning from abstracted ideas?
Oof.
You already did, you’re an avid fiction lover. That’s all the reason you need.
Reading fiction builds empathy, which is a critical life skill regardless of what industry you work in.
If someone asked me that, I’d stare at them for a full five seconds and then say, “What are you, fucking stupid?”
Why does anyone do anything? Because they enjoy it. We read fiction because it’s entertaining. It can take us to new worlds. To paraphrase a GRRM character, the reader lives a thousand lives. The non-reader, just one.
Great answers here, but as a history teacher I’ll add— I learn so much about my field by reading fiction that was written in the time period. History nonfiction is fine, albeit often dry, but fiction is a time machine that puts you back there in the world as it was and in the experiences of the people at the time, right down to the way that they thought and felt about what was happening.
I’d also say that the ability to visualize what you’re reading about is a valuable skill, especially in non-fiction, and reading fiction develops it. If you can picture a fae court when you read, you can picture anything real…
You can learn from fiction as well. Read a mystery novel, and you’ll find out things about forensics. Read a war novel, and you’ll find out facts about the specific wars they’re involved in. The list goes on. The argument that you can’t learn from fiction is simply not true.
But even if you don’t learn from a book, there is nothing wrong with pure entertainment. You don’t listen to music because you may learn something. You don’t watch a stand-up to learn. There are countless forms of art that are just for enjoyment, and books can be read for that same reason.