Reading Fiction Is A Common Pastime That Is Enjoyed By People All Over The World

Larissa MacFarquhar’s essay titled,“Who Cares if Johnny Can’t Read?” , was published in the Slate magazine in 1997, rebuts the misconception that Americans in today’s society don’t read as much as people did in the past. MacFarquhar presented factual information to back up her claim that Americans do read and that they read more now than they ever did. In addition, people do not read classics as much as they read genre fiction and self-help in today’s society. MacFarquhar also stated that reading books is better than television. According to MacFarquhar, she believed that reading can stimulate emotions and allow people to participate unlike television. Later, she acknowledged that certain television can also stimulate emotions and allow people

Much of literature includes strong themes that authors base a story off of, hoping to convey this message to their readers. Reading has become a way to discover much more about life and morals. Therefore, in the words of James Bryce, “The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.” Truman Capote proves this claim throughout his book In Cold Blood. Capote builds empathy throughout his narrative; by conveying powerful experiences and emotions, he guides the reader to better understand what leads these murderers to commit the crimes that they did and allows the reader to carry away a stronger feeling of empathy than before.

Literature is known to have a profound impact on people. It can influence their attitudes, behaviours, beliefs and ultimately, their decision-making process. Reading about the thoughts and stories of other people helps one make moral decisions because it develops one's sense of empathy and it makes one learn more about the world, making them a better person in the end.

In the article “Reading Literature Makes Us Smarter and Nicer” by Annie Murphy Paul (2013) the author admonishes that “deep reading” increases our capacity of empathy on real life situations. Paul acknowledges the argument that Gregory Currie, professor of philosophy at the University of Nottingham says about how there is no evidence that people become morally/socially better for reading great books. However, Paul continues to support that reading enhances our way of life and understanding of individuals. Deep reading affects our way of culture, understanding, and knowledge in a positive way.

shows that authors use multiple techniques to help the reader relate and further empathize with the characters. Empathy helps us better connect to the world and people around us, and often times sparks the need for change within people. The most effective of these tactics is the use of appeals. These examples further prove the argument that authors use appeals such as ethos, logos, and pathos to evoke empathy in their

An author's piece begins to impact the audience once connections are made between the readers and characters of the novel. Rick Groen states that fictional characters acquire more personality compared to those who

I have never been as comfortable with people made of flesh and bone than I have been with those made of words. Whatever information I lose in the contours of the human face, I have no trouble locating in the unchanging, permanent text of a book. There is something about literature that felt safe to me; the worlds created within far more welcoming to little girls with problems fitting in than the one outside the pages. For this reason, fiction, from Harry Potter to The Book Thief, has remained my greatest passion ever since I learned to read.

During our recent winter break, I started reading as many novels, novellas, and biographies that piqued my interest. Once I sat down, curled up on the couch, I would start a story and wouldn’t stop reading until I was done, whether the book was 80 pages or 573 pages. Even if the book was horrible, I would still finish what I started. Although I’m concentrating on college and succeeding, I’m falling in love with reading again. Just during our winter break, I read over fifty novels, biographies, and novellas ranging from science fiction, paranormal romance, history, and classical horror

Though many people nowadays disregard the usefulness of literature in modern society I belong to the opposite sect of folk. Reading and literature is more than just words and writeing, its ways for the dead to speak and advise those to come through understanding of common feelings. Whether the author meant to mean something through metaphor or more literally is not important, what is important is that us as the readers are able to communicate and interpret needed information from the subject and author. Something that I sometimes think is lacking in todays society is not just this communictation but understanding. Furthermore reading it gives us a way to understand and invest in lives other than ourselves. Secondly reading and understanding what we read allows us to feel empathetic towards the subject thus allowing us to share our own story of feeling and ideas. This is

We see from John Green’s video, “Why and How We Read” and Gary Morson’s article, “Why College Kids Are Avoiding the Study of Literature”, that literature is given a bad name because of how it’s being taught, people think it’s a waste of time to learn, because of the unnecessary critical analysis. We can also see that the two articles and video all show us that authors are trying to communicate a message through their writing, and ultimately, teach us something. In both articles and the video, it is emphasized that we build the necessary skills to empathize and communicate with others. Ultimately, we also understand and express our own emotions more efficiently, when we do read. Finally, in “The Business Case for Reading Novels” by Anne Kreamer

The mind has always been an interest of scientists for it holds many secrets, such as how it controls us through various methods. These methods can be ways in which have influence over us through visuals such as television or even books. Annie Murphy Paul tackles this in her article "Your Brain on Fiction", "what scientists have come to realize in the last few years is that narratives activate many other parts of our brains as well, suggesting why the experience of reading can feel so alive"(Paul). In other words, Paul is trying to say that even as one reads he or she may be able to gain more than just knowledge from a piece of literature. Stating that our brains "come alive" as many parts activate with reading certain words. This causes us to feel the experience that is put on words on a piece of paper. Allowing us, the reader, to feel the characters pain,

This specific type of writing does quite similar deeds as poetry, in the matter of forcing the reader to use his or her imagination without them even realizing it, and in doing so opening up many more doors down the road. Karen Prior also mentioned in her article "How Reading Makes Us More Human", that "those who read fiction appear to be better able to understand other people, empathize with them and view the world from their perspective". This is the type of writing that puts the reader in someone else's shoes just by the diction, syntax, and imagery the author may use. By reading and writing fiction, society walks down the path of someone who they never thought was even possible and opens their eyes to a whole new world that they have never onced gazed their eyes

Quality literature is important to society’s functionality. In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 society’s right to have quality literature is taken away. In Joe Fassler’s “How Literature Inspires Empathy” spoken by Alaa Al Aswany, the positive impact of quality literature is displayed. Literature, or the lack thereof, has the ability to drastically change the way a reader views the world.

At the beginning of the passage, Annie Murphy Paul uses the research and findings of a psychologist and professor with knowledge of this topic to prove that reading does indeed benefit people. Murphy includes a report from them stating that “…individuals who often read fiction appear to be better able to understand other people, empathize with them and view the world from their perspective.” In that same paragraph, Murphy also uses appeal to logic by mentioning that young children who deep read have a keener

Sometimes life is hard. Loads of schoolwork and homework, extracurricular events, and other activities fill our schedules from sunrise until long after the sun has set. Fictional reading creates a healthy way to escape the rush of life for a while. Most fictional writers create stories with the intent of captivating their audience, dragging them into the world of the story. With vivid details of locations and events, writers pull readers in to experience