July 19, 2007
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Vicarious: why read when you already have life?
Why do people read novels about other people’s lives when they have lives of their own to be lead?
Especially since novels are often pure fiction.
The answer I think lies in the often dismal facts of time, space, ability and opportunity.
Often we would like to live more deeply than we do, to feel more intensely. Christ remarked on this, saying “I come that you may have life, and have it in more abundance,” and limited in ability, we seize on the written lives of others to fill that lack.
Sometimes we may find the daily round of our activities dull, and yearn to be in some other, more glamorous place, where exciting things happen.
Or we may be curious as to how other people live, or feel, or experience life. This one is very interesting, for the reader may in this case be seeking a role model in his own life, wondering if his own days – so often scarred with petty disasters – might be brighter if only he were a character who could stride nonchalantly like Bond through a host of evils.
Escapism can be a strong reason – and I think it is related to the role model idea - where someone may hurry home from a dirty, noisy factory, yearning not necessarily for wild adventures, but perhaps merely wishing to hear a pleasant tale of trout fishing in the green Scottish Highlands.
Reinforcement of what we already believe or know can be another reason. A reader with strong moral beliefs may sicken of hearing yet another news report of political corruption, and choose a trusted author who he knows will restore his world-view with a tale where moral people win out over bad people. Or a romantic person may tire of a dull circle of friends, and go to the favourite shelf of a local book store, to seize with delight on the latest novel by Madelain D’Amore, and read yet again of Love’s triumph over the villainous Sir Henry.
This is a very deep question, and I could spend all day listing permutations of why a major part of people’s lives is the imaginary life of others.
But I have to go now. I have an appointment in the year 2035, where a happy young couple are enjoying a day at a sea side resort.
I already know that the day will end in disaster, and I know the disaster’s nature.
But I have not yet written the words they will speak to each other before that day is ended.
Comments (9)
I’ve seen NON-fiction that contained fictional part. I just like to get lost in someone else’s drama for a while. Get away from my own. That’s why they call it, “entertainment.”
RYC–I had to go back and read my comment. I’d forgotten already. That last posting pretty much described me to a “t.” The “read for filth” comment harkens back to the phone psychic days of giving someone a “reading” through cards or what have you. Being “read for filth” means you got ‘em spot on.
hey!
How can I express it better than the above comment?! Yes with some books, fiction or non-fiction, it is all just about momentary escape from one’s own life.
That breathing space.
Need to add…that breathing space where someone else is in control of the decisions.
I read novels for relaxation and to escape real life for a time.
There is always escape, and getting one’s mind off of the ordinary reality.
Hello, welcome to the carnival…
I don’t read novels. But then again, I rarely read fiction.
I read for different reasons dependant on how I’m feeling – sometimes for pure escapism, sometimes I’m consciously reading something to expand my worldview by looking through someone else’s eyes for a while. But still, you are so right that this is a question that one could ponder for a long while, maybe with surprising results – why do we favor the books we favor? What is it in the nature of story-telling, of hearing about another’s life and deeds that has been compelling across the centuries?
I read the harry potter novel. It was not very enlightening.