I have on more than one occasion talked to friends about this question, some of whom are committed fiction readers and others not. It has been an important part of my life for decades but I have never really thought about why I want to spend hours reading stories.
There are many websites that wish to debate this question (who knew?) and most of them are very concerned with one’s EQ. I didn’t understand this acronym but it stands for emotional quotient, in the same way as we talk of IQ.
So do most fiction readers wish to escape their own lives and enter a different, parallel world? Maybe a better or more exciting one? Possibly this is so but for many it could also be to do with companionship, combatting loneliness, or simply fun and entertainment.
I came upon a Harvard Business School research project that claimed that employers liked people who read fiction because it develops cognitive agility and acuity. Novels help the reader gain perspective and use their imagination. All these are emotional skills that improve empathy and apparently are valued by employers. Well, I’m certain that most of that does not explain why I am a compulsive reader, interesting though it maybe.
The character of CS Lewis in Shadowlands, the play about his life, written by William Nicholson says ‘We read to know that we are not alone.’ That makes quite a lot of sense to me.