What is Literature for?

Literature functions as the greatest time saver and reality simulator. It grants access to a vast array of emotions and events that would take lifetimes to experience directly, allowing us to safely explore situations like divorce, remorse, or significant life changes. It speeds up time, revealing the arc of a life from childhood to old age, and introduces us to diverse individuals across continents and centuries, curing provincialism and making us citizens of the world.

Literature offers the essential magic of showing us things from another's perspective, helping us understand the impact of our actions. It presents examples of kindly and generous people and often stands against the dominant values of money and power. Writers highlight important feelings and ideas that are often overlooked in a commercial and cynical world, providing a space for empathy.

In books, we find honest descriptions of our true selves and experiences, unlike what ordinary conversation allows. Great writers know us better than we know ourselves, articulating the fragile, weird, and special experiences of our inner lives. Literature opens our hearts and minds, providing maps to our own selves for more reliable and less paranoid navigation. As Emerson noted, great works reveal our own neglected thoughts.

Literature corrects the superficiality of friendship; books are true friends, always available and offering unvarnished truths. It addresses our fear of failure, exploring the mistakes and shortcomings of characters without the harsh judgment of the media. Books evoke pity and help us understand our own proximity to destroying our lives, offering a compassionate perspective on human error.

Instead of viewing literature as mere distraction or entertainment, we should recognize it as therapy in a broad sense. It should be treated like medicine, prescribed for various ailments and classified according to the problems it can address. Literature earns its prestige because it is a vital tool to help us live and die with greater wisdom, goodness, and sanity.