Quote:
Originally Posted by elcreative
And here we go with a mix up over what's being talked about... if you read what most people are posting, they are actually talking about fiction not non-fiction. I'll agree you can learn things from fiction but it does not equal knowledge and it is not essential...
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It does equal cultural mores, philosophy, ethics, and how to cope with disasters and strong emotions. I recently blogged about
the value of fiction books:
Quote:
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I bought Stranger in a Strange Land at a library clearance sale for 50 cents; it shaped how I thought of religion and relationships. I picked up I Never Promised You A Rose Garden at Goodwill for less than a dollar; it taught me a love of language and that actions and motives don't always match well. I borrowed Daughter of the Bright Moon from a friend; I fell in love with kickass female characters and started playing with divination tools. The Illuminatus! trilogy was half-cover-price in the used book section of the local comic store; I found the joy in seeing conspiracies everywhere, even though how true they are has nothing to with how plausible they are. (Also, it started me on a five-year quest for the Principia. But that counts as nonfic, and I'm talking about novels.) I read mom's copy of Scruples, which I'm sure would've appalled her, and learned that giving head is one of the most empowering acts a woman can commit. And I may not be ready, even yet, to discuss what Flowers for Algernon means to me. (Pay for it? Are you kidding? I'm sure they made literature collections for schoolkids in the 70's that didn't have it, but I don't remember any.)
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We learn facts from nonfiction. We learn how to live from fiction, from the stories and legends we grow up with. The idea that "people don't need access to good fiction" is ridiculous.
No *particular* bit of fiction may be essential to anyone's education, but that's not the same as "it's fine if modern fiction is priced out of range of the 40% of readers with the lowest incomes."