Why are some drawn to fiction stories and others repelled by them?

[GandalfTheWise]

This question arose in my mind in another thread.   Why is it that some people like fiction stories, (be it books, comics, graphic novels, video-game story lines, oral story-telling, TV shows, movies, or whatever media)?  Why do some people not care about them or to actively dislike them?   I'm not talking about preferring particular genres, but rather liking, not caring, or actively disliking fiction stories in general.  I'm not talking about what details cause someone to dislike particular stories (such as profanity, graphic descriptions, non-Christian world view, etc.).  But, what is it about fictional stories that they even exist and that some people like them?

I didn't phrase it in a personal way in the title, but what I am curious about is why different people here are drawn to consume fiction while others have no interest and others might be actively repelled by fiction.   What is it that drives your feelings toward fiction stories?   I'm hoping this thread can be one of constructive reflection where we can learn from each other and maybe explore a topic that doesn't get talked about very much.
 

[GandalfTheWise]

A large part of why I am drawn to fiction stories and impacted by them is the following.

For me, it's the difference between a menu or a meal, or between a musical score and hearing a symphony, or between reading a wedding announcement and walking my daughter down the aisle on her wedding day, or reading an obituary in a newspaper and going to the funeral of an old dear friend.  I'm a scientist and can run in analytical and logical mode with the best of the them, but that doesn't bring meaning or light or joy to life.  It is utilitarian like a menu, musical score, or wedding announcement are.  For me, stories bring dry concepts, theories, and truths to life in a way that has deep meaning and impact in our hearts and souls.

Which of the following is more true about the sun?

1. Our sun is a star which is about 100 times larger than the earth and about 300,000 times more massive. It consists primarily of hydrogen and helium. It is emits energy by undergoing a fusion reaction which converts hydrogen into helium.  It's an average of 92,955,807 miles away from the earth.  The surface temperature is about 5800K and it's interior temperature is estimated at 15 million K.    etc. etc.

2.  After his car broke down in the desert, the glowing eye above him unblinking watched him slowly succumb to thirst.  The burning fire above hurt his eyes and scorched his skin.  It was an unshakeable presence that made each passing moment less tolerable.  Even the temporary relief of its passing at evening only meant its inexorable killing gaze would return the next morning and the morning after...

3. She'd hardly slept at all.  She got up in the dark and pulled the warm quilt around her shoulders and went out and sat on the porch.  The sky slowly reddened and lightened and birds started to chirp.  She saw the first glimpse of the rising sun over the horizon.  The herald of her wedding day caused her to blink as she could no longer stare directly at it.

While 1 is factual and objective, it only engages my mind.  Things like 2 or 3 (if well-written and insightful) engage my entire being.   Fictional stories are often a way of conveying concepts, ideas, and truth that do not merely engage our minds but our hearts and souls.

It too has been my observation that our reaction to such stories often give us hints of the unique person God created us to be.  I think that sometimes those instances when suddenly in a movie, book, poem, song, or times in real life, that we are suddenly struck deeply by something are sometimes God's tap on shoulder to us to say that's what I made you to be like.  Those things can often speak more clearly and deeply to our hearts than listening to a dry list of jobs we can do or a generic list of things that applies to everyone.   In decades of hindsight, I realized that some of stories I was most drawn to from the time I was a teen fit into two categories.  There were those that were an unhealthy escape from the world, and then there were those that were reflecting something of who God created me to be.  I was talking about this once with a pastor, and he paused and told me something he said he's usually too embarrassed to tell anyone because most people simply don't get it.  He said he'd often start crying at cross-country meets.  There was simply something that drew him to people having given their all and crossing the finish line no matter where they were in the field.   That simple story told me about all I needed to know about where his heart is at as a pastor more than any biographical list of education and past ministry experience or list of doctrinal positions.

I think well-crafted stories are often a means of communication that goes beyond the factual and speak to a deeper reality of what life is really about.

 

 

[Starise]

I think it's mainly a great way to escape reality for awhile. I remember having a tall stack of comic books by my bed. I also read fiction paper backs. I believe age is tied to some of it. When we are younger we are more open to ideas older adults might  turn a blind eye to. 

Being younger often means less demanding responsibility which means we might feel more at ease with life in general if we have a stable home life. The problems were for our parents to deal with. Sure we all probably had chores, but it wasn't anything like the demands placed on adults. I have found these times of freedom from immediate demands more readily fostered an appetite for pretend. Video games likely fall into the same or a similar category. At the same time other children were out making friends and playing baseball, other less prone to social strengths might withdraw within themselves and be open to create a pretend world of fantasy. To find a great book that draws them in only helps them do something they were ready to do anyway. 

Sometimes people tune out from a bad situation by withdrawing into fantasy. For them it might be more of an escape of necessity. A place they like to be that feels safer than reality and allows them to forget it for awhile. Fantasy is a good thing for creativity because creativity often comes from other places besides the daily grind. Creativity energizes the creative. If creative people don't have an outlet they wilt on the stem. Taking your mind someplace else makes you think and feel different things almost as if you lived them yourself.

Some people watch soap operas as an escape. Many women read romance novels. I can only guess it's because they don't have enough spark in their relationships or maybe they just like to relive romance through someone else's story. SciFi takes us to other worlds other dimensions, other times. The sky is the limit really. One thing I really have always liked about fiction is it can be a reflection of ideas from a different perspective. Even though it's fictional the author reacts to things the way they would often react. In reading this it can give us some insight into human behavior, even if the setting isn't real. In a word I would call most fiction a diversion. I don't think all diversion is unhealthy. If we loose touch with reality it can be.

As I've gotten older I don't feel I have nearly as much time to read about pretend things and instead am usually investigating reality. I sometimes still allow myself to be that child again though, but not often anymore. It's sad really that we seem to loose some of that magic where everything was new and there were lots of magical possibilities. Good fictional writers have to tell themselves a good story first. Develop the characters to be believable, come up with an interesting story line. My guess is many of them are writing stories to themselves which can be sold to others. Not that they set out to make a yarn for money, but they like making up these stories. They feed off of the same things the readers seek. They enjoy the pursuit of imagination put to words or movies. Maybe there is some control hidden in there somewhere too. They can control that world. God knows we have no control over this one to that degree.

Edited December 10, 2020 by Starise

[Henry_iain]

1 hour ago, GandalfTheWise said:

This question arose in my mind in another thread.   Why is it that some people like fiction stories, (be it books, comics, graphic novels, video-game story lines, oral story-telling, TV shows, movies, or whatever media)?  Why do some people not care about them or to actively dislike them?   I'm not talking about preferring particular genres, but rather liking, not caring, or actively disliking fiction stories in general.  I'm not talking about what details cause someone to dislike particular stories (such as profanity, graphic descriptions, non-Christian world view, etc.).  But, what is it about fictional stories that they even exist and that some people like them?

I didn't phrase it in a personal way in the title, but what I am curious about is why different people here are drawn to consume fiction while others have no interest and others might be actively repelled by fiction.   What is it that drives your feelings toward fiction stories?   I'm hoping this thread can be one of constructive reflection where we can learn from each other and maybe explore a topic that doesn't get talked about very much.
 

I'm on a phone here so I will not write much yet though I am very interested. 

Isn't it interesting that the love for stories ( like music ) is so universal. That in every culture you will find this kind of story?

 

Let me first say that I think it has to do with the fact that fictional stories are by definition not real and so we can separate ourselves from them . And so they act like a lens through which we can safely explore a topic without necessarily being personally involved.  Tolkien would hate me saying this, but deep down almost all stories are allegorical. That is why even fiction has rules that dictate how it should be told and how the fictional world works. Without these it would be nonsense. 

A lot more to say but need to gather my thoughts. 

Edited December 10, 2020 by Henry_iain

[NotAllThere]

I like fiction that addresses the human condition. If redemption is involved - so much the better. 

But I also like hard sci-fi that extrapolates from current science knowledge - without wishing to be super spiritual, I'm utterly amazed about the extraordinary universe the Lord has created, and these writers make me feel that I knew nothin about how awesome it is . Currently reading qtnm (There is no antimemitics division) and Exurb1a (Logic Beach). 

[missmuffet]

3 hours ago, GandalfTheWise said:

This question arose in my mind in another thread.   Why is it that some people like fiction stories, (be it books, comics, graphic novels, video-game story lines, oral story-telling, TV shows, movies, or whatever media)?  Why do some people not care about them or to actively dislike them?   I'm not talking about preferring particular genres, but rather liking, not caring, or actively disliking fiction stories in general.  I'm not talking about what details cause someone to dislike particular stories (such as profanity, graphic descriptions, non-Christian world view, etc.).  But, what is it about fictional stories that they even exist and that some people like them?

I didn't phrase it in a personal way in the title, but what I am curious about is why different people here are drawn to consume fiction while others have no interest and others might be actively repelled by fiction.   What is it that drives your feelings toward fiction stories?   I'm hoping this thread can be one of constructive reflection where we can learn from each other and maybe explore a topic that doesn't get talked about very much.
 

I am an avid reader. I like to read Christian fiction. I occasionally read non ficton but I usually read fiction. 

[Starise]

Can you share what draws you to read Christian fiction? I guess the simple answer would be because you like it. Have you thought about why you like it?

[Alive]

3 hours ago, GandalfTheWise said:

This question arose in my mind in another thread.   Why is it that some people like fiction stories, (be it books, comics, graphic novels, video-game story lines, oral story-telling, TV shows, movies, or whatever media)?  Why do some people not care about them or to actively dislike them?   I'm not talking about preferring particular genres, but rather liking, not caring, or actively disliking fiction stories in general.  I'm not talking about what details cause someone to dislike particular stories (such as profanity, graphic descriptions, non-Christian world view, etc.).  But, what is it about fictional stories that they even exist and that some people like them?

I didn't phrase it in a personal way in the title, but what I am curious about is why different people here are drawn to consume fiction while others have no interest and others might be actively repelled by fiction.   What is it that drives your feelings toward fiction stories?   I'm hoping this thread can be one of constructive reflection where we can learn from each other and maybe explore a topic that doesn't get talked about very much.
 

Since a boy, I have enjoyed SF. Especially Isaac Asimov stuff--Foundation, the Robot Series. There are many other authors that I have enjoyed, but Isaac represents, to me, the best examples of why I have enjoyed SF. I enjoy it because it stimulates my imagination and that opens my mind to possibilities that I wouldn't otherwise entertain. His epic stories span a great deal of time and I really enjoyed that. His concept of 'Psychohistory' is both brilliant and thought provoking.

Another is the Rama Series by Arthur C. Clarke. These two authors write what I consider intelligent SF and exceptional expansive.

I also read a lot of science--all kinda stuff. I learned to have a great love and respect for literature at a young age.

 

[furrychristian]

Ok, I have to go to work like in 10 minutes, so I'll make this post as quick as I can. Fiction is my life. I'm always diving into some kind of fictional story. I watch anime, I used to read a lot as a kid, I play video games......I even do roleplay of my favorite characters online. I guess in one sense it's a way to pass the time, but I just....connect well with fictional characters and worlds. Fiction lets you do and explore things you could never in real life. And we tend to respond to fictional characters as if they are actual people, we can even admire them in the same way we might admire actual people. Some even develop crushes on fictional characters.

I also find that allegories are a good way for me to connect to God and Biblical truths. At least, that was the case in my teens. Reading an allegorical series (I forget the name, but it had to do with knights) helped to jumpstart my relationship with God and helped me to develop a closer relationship with Him.

I read, watch, and play fiction. I've lived thousands of lives.

[Starise]

5 minutes ago, Alive said:

Since a boy, I have enjoyed SF. Especially Isaac Asimov stuff--Foundation, the Robot Series. There are many other authors that I have enjoyed, but Isaac represents, to me, the best examples of why I have enjoyed SF. I enjoy it because it stimulates my imagination and that opens my mind to possibilities that I wouldn't otherwise entertain. His epic stories span a great deal of time and I really enjoyed that. His concept of 'Psychohistory' is both brilliant and thought provoking.

Another is the Rama Series by Arthur C. Clarke. These two authors write what I consider intelligent SF and exceptional expansive.

I also read a lot of science--all kinda stuff. I learned to have a great love and respect for literature at a young age.

 

Highbrow sci fi. Yeah this is the good stuff. Back before sci fi became something else.