Blog #4 - Why Do We Read/Watch Fiction?

     One day in class, we read Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving. Mostly everyone knows the story of Rip. He was the man that fell asleep and woke up 20 years later and everything had changed. Naturally, this is most likely not a true story. But if it's not a true story, then why do we read it? 

     In class, we discussed why we read or watch fictional stories. We talked about Harry Potter, Transformers, Jaws, etc. We came to the conclusion that these fictional stories have deeper meanings than what's seen. They aren't just about the wizards, robot cars, and a big shark. We determined that the underlying meaning reflects what society is thinking about at the current time of production. Although this is true, there's another detail that we missed in class.

     Fictional stories not only teach us about things that don't exist, but they teach us about ourselves as real human beings. Psychologist Keith Oatley says, "They train us in the art of being human." He says that we tend to think of watching movies as being a passive activity, but that thought is not true when it comes to our emotions. When we're watching a movie, we have empathy for the characters, and we can relate to them. If the writing or movie is powerful enough, we can feel the emotions of the characters as they are feeling them. Oatley says, "The feelings elicited by fiction go beyond the words on a page or the images on a screen." After we've read or watched a piece of fiction, we can oftentimes think about how they relate to our own lives.

     For instance, let's go back to Harry Potter. On the surface, Harry Potter seems like it's a movie solely about this magical wizarding world that doesn't actually exist. In reality, it's MUCH more than that. Harry Potter has themes about love, friendship, good and evil, and education. These are all themes that we can take to heart and use in our real lives. Joyce Pines, of the Kalamazoo Gazette, says, "It [Harry Potter] is a remarkable story that reminds us that, no matter what life throws at you, you must do what is right. They are a guide, presented in an entertaining format, to help us understand the difficulty of life's journey."  A memorable lesson from the series is love and knowing that love is something that will prevail for all time. Here's a clip from the last movie, Deathly Hallows: Part 2, that sums this up in a nutshell. (ALERT! This clip is a spoiler if you haven't read or watched Deathly Hallows. It also might make you cry if you're a sap like me.) 

     So do we really read or watch fictional stories solely for the entertainment factor? Sometimes, yes. Oftentimes, no. We embrace fictional stories because of the impact they can have on our views on life and our emotions. Next time you're watching The Walking Dead, Firefly, or any other fictional story, go beyond the surface and think of what it really means, even if you have to go back a couple of decades. We can always learn new ideals and lessons from people, objects, and places that aren't actually on a real map.