Fiction, as with all forms of art, has
the paradoxical ability to illustrate life far more accurately than fact. It is through fiction, and the exploration of the deepest recesses of our
imagination that we are able to conceptualize our yearnings for facts and design experiments for truth.
Imagination is more important than
knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. -
Einstein
Fiction provides an arena to discuss the
abstract. Concepts such as morality and social responsibility are better
understood through the lens of fiction – it is a fool’s errand to try and label
notions, born in subjectivity, as fact.
Without fiction we wouldn’t have Great Expectations or To Kill a Mockingbird;
both pieces of work are able to explore themes of culture, ethics, morals and
emotions – the things that drive instances and events i.e. produce facts. In
the worlds that authors create we are able to navigate through taboos such as
murder and play out the consequences of it, given the tools to empathise with
different situations and find common humanity in circumstance far removed from
our norm. Fiction is our highest from of governance as it holds up a mirror to
the world and asks us if we like what is reflected back.
If you wanted to learn about another culture, country or
time then read their fiction. It will allow you to understand the psyche, the essence, the very soul of what you are
trying to comprehend. You don’t need to revise battles, monarchs, scientific
breakthroughs or legislative action, as these are all just byproducts of the
narrative that fiction has woven into
the fabric of their existence.
It
is, therefore, no surprise that bookshops are split between fiction and non-fiction. NOT fact and
non-fact. It is fiction that is the root, the dominant concept, and thus infers that
there is fiction and there is the
rest.
These
thoughts only really came to me a couple of weeks ago as I was absent-mindedly
looking through the shelves of a local bookshop. I suddenly ‘noticed’ how
prominent fiction was and felt that I could learn about everything and anything
in these pages. (Yes, I too am shocked it has taken me this long – considering
I have been frequenting these places all of my adult life)
Of
course it isn’t always our objective to try and understand the world every time
that we pick up a book. We may just need a little escapism or to get lost in a
different universe for a while. That, by the way, is the perfect reason to pick
up a book. These books will still influence you though, they will change your
view point and question your values. It’s unavoidable. We are taught that we
are the sum of our experiences, and the words that you read are an enormous
part of your experiences. A great book will change you and that is a good
thing.
So
next time you pick up a book make sure that you let it in. Fiction can teach us
a thing or two!
