5 Reasons Why Fiction is Worth It
I joined The Lord of the Rings club. I started reading the series about two months ago, and I feel especially proud of myself because I typically avoid fiction. Outside of realistic fiction, I struggle to see the immediate implications to my own life and therefore deem it a low priority. However, as I’m reading about little Frodo Baggins of The Shire and his dangerous adventures, I’m beginning to enjoy fantasy. And I want to note the real-life benefits of reading this series, in this permanent space, otherwise I fear I will remain a harsh critic of fiction.
While Tolkien depicts Frodo’s journey to destroy The Ring, I relate to Frodo as a character who faces many challenges he does not feel capable of and interacts with people he does not feel worthy to be in the presence of. Through his new acquaintances, like elves, dwarves, and wizards, Frodo is exposed to a wide array of new beliefs and places that formed these inhabitants. I am taken into the world of these unrealistic tales, and I appreciate them as an escape from my too familiar circling thoughts. And after putting my book down, I’m a little more at ease to face my realities.
Given I’m not a dedicated fiction reader, I researched the impacts of reading fiction on other peoples’ lives. Maja Djikic, a psychologist on personality development, outlines 5 areas fiction enhances growth: empathy, social abilities, learning about oneself, personality, and information processing (specifically open-mindedness and creativity). While fiction grants us the unique opportunity to put ourselves in another’s shoes, we simultaneously gain the ability to view ourselves from a new angle. Stories loosen our grip on our narratives, and may provide us freedom to define ourselves in a more positive light.
My good friend JP, who is an avid reader, eloquently stated, “Stories shape our moral imagination more than anything, and a good storyteller wields the power to frame for us the things that move us. Characters will betray their friends in pursuit of their ultimate desire, characters that sacrifice their ultimate desire for a friend- even to their detriment… a good writer can show us ourselves in such as these. One professor said that literature is about the human experience, that through fiction we are enabled to live a thousand lives, yet never losing our own.” Enough said.
Although Pew Research shows that the amount of people in the United States who read has remained the same in the last ten years, experts in the social media field agree that technology and the rise of social media has inhibited people’s time and desire to read. Regardless of how true you find this to match your experience, I think many of us would benefit from the restful and fulfilling powers of fiction. Looking for a good place to start?
Here’s a list of fiction books my friends have enjoyed reading recently :)
Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Where the Crawdads Sing
Redeeming Love
The Outsiders
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
The Second Coming
Angel Eyes
Till We Have Faces
The Firm
The Midnight Library
28 Summers
The Woman in the Window
The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post
The Masterpiece
Thunder and Rain
Little Fires Everywhere
Once Upon a Wardrobe
All the Light We Cannot See
Sea of Tranquility
