I recently read an article that dives into the murky question: does literature help us understand others? Have more empathy? The article begins hopefully with a quote from Joyce Carol Oates: “Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin.”
This is a challenging question with important consequences. What do we demand from higher education? Is reading being pushed out of our visual, digital world?
The idea that literature orients readers to the thoughts and feelings of others is something we’ve lived with for a very long time. Psychologists are now trying to test it in the lab. I wasn’t totally surprised that they fall back on the “chicken or egg” position:
“A lifetime of reading might make people better at imagining other people’s thoughts and emotions, or those who are more in tune with other people’s states of minds might be drawn to reading fiction in the first place. Or, a completely unrelated variable might explain the correlation.”
My friends Carole and Camille, both lifelong readers, gave me a total thumbs up. “Yes, and studies prove it.” And, “yes, absolutely!”
Stuart is thoughtful: “I can have empathy even with characters that I don't like because I can sense the complexity of their motivations. I do think that it carries over to everyday life, though in subtle, subconscious ways.”
I liked Gerry’s response: “It depends on who is doing the reading.” With humility, he relies on himself for the empathy.
What do you think?
I agree with all of my friends. As for the tests, I don’t think that everything can be measured. I’m content with conjecture or hope.
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ReplyDeleteHere is the entirety of what I wrote in response to the question you posed, Joan: "It depends on who is doing the reading. Many readers quickly impose their view of the world on the template offered by the author and fit the text into their own personal vision, judging the author and his characters along the way. I've found the most useful way for me is to set aside my biases and prejudices as much as I can. I try to understand the author's vision of the world. It is probably impossible to do this completely, but to the degree I can, the effort allows me to learn more than I otherwise would. If I succeed, I suppose I am taking an empathic position."
ReplyDeletePut differently, I try not to rely on myself. My "self," full of the kinds of prejudices we all have, can get in the way of empathy unless I try to move it out of the way. Empathy is not always automatic.
I don't know about empathy. I just know that when I start a book, usually with great anticipation, I quickly get totally lost in another, broader, different world. One of my greatest pleasures is seeing my grandson lie on the sofa for hours, completely engrossed in his book. I'm not sure what it's doing to his brain. I only know it's pleasure for sure, with which I empathize!
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