Does reading literature make you nicer? by Lori Breidenbach

Week 1 Discussion

l_breidenbach — 2025-09-05 19:13:10 UTC

Please read "Why We Should Read World Literature" in the week 1 folder first.

Then, return to this Padlet discussion to add your ideas about this article. Also comment on this quote: As the research suggests, reading literary fiction is a tribute to expanding our humanity, to events that we may never encounter, and to experience what others think and feel. Literary fiction can transport us figuratively into someone else’s shoes—shoes worn by a character in a book, by the students in a classroom, or the person next to you.  Without empathy, we have an incomplete picture of their humanity and our own.

To add your posting, click on the + sign on the bottom right. Please add your name or initials to both your posting and any comments that you add.

You are encouraged to respond to your classmates' postings as well. As always, keep a respectful tone.

Padlet discussion

2025-09-09 19:01:30 UTC

I was a little skeptical when I first read that reading fiction would make you nicer but by the end of the article I can definitely understand and agree with the statement. It makes a lot of sense that someone who has read a lot of fiction and has practice seeing different situations from someone else's point of view would be better at being empathetic for others in real life.

Why We Should Read World Literature

2025-09-09 19:17:43 UTC

It makes sense that reading literary fiction and often seeing different point of views would make a person more empathetic. They are often willingly putting themselves in other people's shoes; Doing so willingly will lead to better retainment of the knowledge learned.

why we should read world lit - Isabella kasecky

2025-09-09 22:55:12 UTC

Im not much of a reader of fiction or non fiction and never really had a desire to read literally fiction, although I did find this interesting seeing how other people think of certain topics and gaining knowledge on such things.

Why We Should Read World Literature -KyLee Sweetman

2025-09-10 18:35:32 UTC

I think that literature of any form is a good learning resource, when I read that it makes people more empathetic and understanding I believed it but wasn't sure how to back up this statement with scientific information. After reading the rest of the article I found it interesting how the statement that "World Literature makes you more empathetic" is true and backed up by facts. I think that it is important to understand and learn about other cultures as it brings more knowledge and understanding to people that you may come across some day. I like to read fiction as well but I agree that reading World Literature brings a different perspective in reading and makes you think about how someone from a different culture is experiencing things.

Discussion

mnohs24tcochran — 2025-09-11 19:35:20 UTC

I thought the article was very well written and did an excellent job at providing evidence and reason for why reading literary fiction can increase a person's empathy.

Though it does lack some of the evidence the article had, I think the quote is a great summary of the article. It gives reasons why reading literary fiction can improve your empathy, and it explains how it does so.

The Value of Literature

2025-09-12 01:01:43 UTC

We need our beliefs to be challenged. Otherwise, we could go through our entire lives staunchly believing something that is fundamentally false. However, akin to organisms in evolutionary theory, beliefs don't need to be perfect; they merely must be tenable. It's vital that we don't suggest that the beliefs of one person or one group of people are perfect and all others are flawed. Perhaps it is impossible for a belief system to be the ideal such system. Recognizing and understanding others, which "Why Should We Read World Literature?" argues is a core function of literature, allows us to expand our own. In addition, viewing our own beliefs from the outside provides context. One might not even realize that they hold a belief until they understand a different one. Not only does literature help us understand other people, which has a major intrinsic value, but it helps us understand ourselves as well. I was also struck by the discussion of the increasing rarity of "deep reading." I certainly acknowledge the value of many technologies, but it is vitally important that we consider what we lose as well. We would do well to attempt to balance the two. Lastly, I'd like to note in relation to the discussion of implied meaning that sometimes, upon reading a piece of literature, I'm left with a vivid impression of an event or belief of one of the characters but would have difficulty giving a reason why.

Regarding the quotation, the word "humanity" as it is used here seems to have two important characteristics. It refers to the collective experience of all humans and is synonymous with empathy. If literature allows us to take into ourselves a portion of authors' experiences, it then makes our own experience encompass slightly more of those of humanity as a whole. "Without empathy, we have an incomplete picture of [others'] humanity and our own," the article states, but this picture can never be complete. Reading literature, however, brings it closer.

--George H.

Reading World Literature

2025-09-12 18:40:21 UTC

I had a personal agreement with this article because of my own experiences. Through reading fiction, I genuinely feel I have learned more about empathy and experiences of the real world than when I read the news. There are countless different lives and experiences in the world, and reading literature gives us a chance to step into those shoes, as the quote says, and see from a different perspective. Obviously, fiction is fiction, but often times fiction is based on something non-fiction, especially when an author is relating a character to themselves or another person. Literature doesn't just tell you a story, it shows you the emotion and the person behind that story which is vastly different than just hearing something that happened to someone. Because of this, I think being able to read such literature is a blessing. My favorite part of the quote provided is, "Without empathy we have an incomplete picture of their humanity, and our own." Each new perspective we see through teaches us more about humanity as a whole. Which is why I feel that being able to learn through a perspective that differs from your own is the most important part of empathy. - LB

Padelt

2025-09-14 19:45:43 UTC

I am not much of a reader, either fact or fiction but I started to enjoy reading this article the more that I kept absorbing the information.

Padlet - Jamie Johnson

2025-09-15 03:54:23 UTC

I believed before that reading literature giving one more knowlage about different topics and walks of life can make them more empethetic and create more of a "in your shoes" mindset as it is extreamly important to learn and understand other cultures ect. although i dont read much myself.

does literature make you "nicer"

dominiclacey — 2025-09-15 19:35:41 UTC

I think that it helps you understand parts of the world better, why people make the decisions they do, to see other sides of a problem, and I think helps to make more unbiased opinions, to be more understanding and empathetic

Padlet discussion

2025-09-16 18:05:20 UTC

I thought the article was very well written and made many excellent points and providing evidence for why reading literary fiction can help increase kindness and sympathy.

I think with my personal experiences being involved, I believe that I have learned more on how to be sympathetic and kind.

Week 1 Discussion

2025-09-19 18:27:17 UTC

I personally didn't believe that reading fiction could make you more empathetic, but I can see where they are coming from after reading the article. The statement helps back up the article and made me think about the situations where I put myself in someone else's shoes while reading fiction.

Padlet - Annette Miller

2025-09-20 19:50:45 UTC

I think that reading fiction doesn't necessarily make you more empathic. I think that it varies from person to person. I think some people might become more empathic while others might not care.

Padlet discussion- Skyla Rustad

2025-10-31 20:41:33 UTC

I thought the article was very well written and made many excellent points and providing evidence for why reading literary fiction can help increase kindness and sympathy one is mine not sure how to add my name!

Why we should read literature

2025-11-04 01:04:20 UTC

I think the article did a very good job explaining the research and ideas. I would not have expected that reading would make someone nicer, but after thinking about how it helps you understand better perspectives, that actually makes sense to me.

The statement in question is a great summary of the article, giving an intuitive explanation for why reading can have these benefits while also bringing up the evidence.

~Magnus Larsson