What is the purpose of reading stories, especially made-up stories?
According to Laura Miller, Senior writer at Salon.com, it is the Puritan work ethic of American readers that takes all the fun out of reading fiction. She says:
[It] boils down to the belief that reading can only be the means to an end, whether that end is moral betterment or worldly success (two classic Puritan preoccupations). For some of us, however, reading is an end in itself, and what fiction has to offer isn’t lessons but an experience, a revelation, a sudden expansion of the spirit. Like any art, it can teach or motivate, but it doesn’t have to, and it’s often better when it doesn’t.
Read the rest of the Salon article here.
I read fiction to become a better fiction writer. So I guess I do have some “Puritan” in me that wants to study by example. But I also read for fun. A good story expands my view of the world. It helps me see how we’re more alike than different. Why do you read fiction? As always, I’d love to hear from you.
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