Is reading fiction escapist? With half of the world's population under lockdown, sales of novels have rocketed. People are turning to stories to keep themselves company and pass the time.
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The great escape: reading booms in lockdown
Is reading fiction escapist? With half of the world's population under lockdown, sales of novels have rocketed. People are turning to stories to keep themselves company and pass the time.
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"It takes me to another, better place, and allows me to escape the current situation for a while."
So says one respondentSomeone who has replied to a questionnaire or survey. to a survey by the Reading AgencyA UK charity that supports people to read more, and more confidently., on why she is reading fiction during the lockdown.
And who could blame her?
Hogwarts. Narnia. Middle Earth. Fiction lets us leave our grim reality behind, travelling from inside our homes to incredible places, meeting extraordinary people, and forgetting our anxieties.
It certainly seems that many are feeling this way.
Released to mark yesterday's World Book Night, the Reading Agency's survey shows that a third of British people are reading more fiction since the lockdown began.
The figure is even higher among 18-24 year olds, at almost 45%.
But are we really trying to escape when we read fiction, or do novels in fact bring us closer to reality?
Until Johannes GutenbergA German goldsmith, inventor, printer, and publisher. His invention of the printing press in 1440 meant that books could be mass-produced and knowledge could spread around the world. Many historians see this as the beginning of modern history. invented the printing press, making books much more widely available, very few people in Europe read at all. It was a luxury reserved for the very wealthy and the monks who would copy out books by hand.
What's more, reading was normally done aloud as a sociable, educational activity.
In AD400, Saint Augustine of HippoA Christian bishop and theologian whose writings were central in the development of early Christianity. His book Confessions is believed to be the first Western autobiography, and describes his naughtiness before becoming a Christian. wrote with shock about Ambrose, the bishop of Milan. Why? Because when he read, he read in silence - "his voice and tongue were quiet".
Even as literacy increased and silent reading caught on in the 1700s, books weren't common. If you owned any book at all, it was likely to be the Bible: a tomeA very big book. to consult for direction, education, and self-improvement, sure. But not for escape.
The novel - fiction as we know it today - also began its rise in the 1700s. But works such as Daniel DefoeAn English trader, writer, journalist, and spy. His novel Robinson Crusoe is considered one of the first English novels. 's Robinson Crusoe weren't exactly escapist either. Their characters' journeys to self-discovery were examples for readers to follow.
People used the early novels to make sense of their changing world and how they fitted into it.
And that remains true today. The Reading Agency's survey shows that books about fictional epidemics have seen a huge rise in sales - up over 1000%.
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<h5 class=" eplus-wrapper">If this is how we respond to a pandemic, is reading fiction really that escapist?</h5>
Of course not. When we are absorbed in a good novel, we are not getting away from reality but closer to it: engaging with the truth of human emotion and how we relate to the world around us. By reading fiction we train our imagination - studies have shown it makes us more empatheticAble to imagine how someone else is feeling.. The great American novelist Ursula K Le Guin goes even further, arguing that "we read books to find out who we are".
But others say that at times of crisis, it is irresponsible to focus on made-up stories. We ought to be educating ourselves about the situation by keeping up with the news and learning from non-fiction texts. Besides, getting lost in a novel is a luxury unavailable to those whose lives have been badly affected by the pandemic - compassion for fictional characters isn't much help.
Respondent - Someone who has replied to a questionnaire or survey.
The Reading Agency - A UK charity that supports people to read more, and more confidently.
Johannes Gutenberg - A German goldsmith, inventor, printer, and publisher. His invention of the printing press in 1440 meant that books could be mass-produced and knowledge could spread around the world. Many historians see this as the beginning of modern history.
Saint Augustine of Hippo - A Christian bishop and theologian whose writings were central in the development of early Christianity. His book Confessions is believed to be the first Western autobiography, and describes his naughtiness before becoming a Christian.
Tome - A very big book.
Daniel Defoe - An English trader, writer, journalist, and spy. His novel Robinson Crusoe is considered one of the first English novels.
Empathetic - Able to imagine how someone else is feeling.
The great escape: reading booms in lockdown
Glossary
Respondent - Someone who has replied to a questionnaire or survey.
The Reading Agency - A UK charity that supports people to read more, and more confidently.
Johannes Gutenberg - A German goldsmith, inventor, printer, and publisher. His invention of the printing press in 1440 meant that books could be mass-produced and knowledge could spread around the world. Many historians see this as the beginning of modern history.
Saint Augustine of Hippo - A Christian bishop and theologian whose writings were central in the development of early Christianity. His book Confessions is believed to be the first Western autobiography, and describes his naughtiness before becoming a Christian.
Tome - A very big book.
Daniel Defoe - An English trader, writer, journalist, and spy. His novel Robinson Crusoe is considered one of the first English novels.
Empathetic - Able to imagine how someone else is feeling.