Why don't I enjoy fiction? What do people get from fiction?
March 30, 2017 12:21 PM Subscribe
I've been wondering lately why I don't enjoy fiction or stories, by and large. Furthermore, I wonder what most people do get out of fiction (books, movies, TV, or any other sort of story-based medium)? I ask this because I honestly don't know what sort of stories I might enjoy, or if I even enjoy stories at all.
For whatever reason, I just can't get into fiction in the way that seemingly everyone else can. I don't really understand what people get out of it that I can't, and I'd like to find out. This isn't just books, either (Although in the case of books, I seem to also have negative associations with them due to years of deadlines and having to write papers and stuff of that sort. But that's another discussion). I'm not really much of a movie or TV person either. What few shows I honestly say I enjoy tend to be comedic, light-hearted, or about families in some way (examples: Bob's Burgers, Beavis and Butt-head, Malcolm in the Middle, The Simpsons, Monty Python's Flying Circus) and as for movies I can't really find a consistent pattern for them (examples: Rare Exports, the Back to the Future trilogy, Star Wars). I feel like I really don't quite understand myself sometimes.
I don't know if it's an attention thing, or if it's that I can't be bothered to care about or emotionally connect/identify with fictional characters, or if it's yet another symptom of my pre-existing depression, or what it is that explains why I don't seem to enjoy fiction the way others can. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure if I ever really enjoyed stories and, if I did, why I don't anymore. I envy those who can binge-watch shows on Netflix or get lost in literature and enjoy themselves that way.
Thoughts? Questions?
For whatever reason, I just can't get into fiction in the way that seemingly everyone else can. I don't really understand what people get out of it that I can't, and I'd like to find out. This isn't just books, either (Although in the case of books, I seem to also have negative associations with them due to years of deadlines and having to write papers and stuff of that sort. But that's another discussion). I'm not really much of a movie or TV person either. What few shows I honestly say I enjoy tend to be comedic, light-hearted, or about families in some way (examples: Bob's Burgers, Beavis and Butt-head, Malcolm in the Middle, The Simpsons, Monty Python's Flying Circus) and as for movies I can't really find a consistent pattern for them (examples: Rare Exports, the Back to the Future trilogy, Star Wars). I feel like I really don't quite understand myself sometimes.
I don't know if it's an attention thing, or if it's that I can't be bothered to care about or emotionally connect/identify with fictional characters, or if it's yet another symptom of my pre-existing depression, or what it is that explains why I don't seem to enjoy fiction the way others can. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure if I ever really enjoyed stories and, if I did, why I don't anymore. I envy those who can binge-watch shows on Netflix or get lost in literature and enjoy themselves that way.
Thoughts? Questions?
Do you enjoy nonfiction stories, like documentaries and biographies?
posted by cmcmcm at 12:37 PM on March 30, 2017
posted by cmcmcm at 12:37 PM on March 30, 2017
Do you even like to read books? I prefer to read non-fiction because I think that there are enough interesting stories that really did happen that I don't need to read about things that didn't actually happen at all. Some of the non-fiction books I've enjoyed read like really gripping fiction: Executioner's Song, Into Thin Air, etc.
Conversely, the fiction I have enjoyed tends to be far enough from reality that I'm not picking it apart for its "handy coincidences" and recurring "as if" situations. So Harry Potter is a good example of that. Escapism and interesting world building and characters you get to know book after book. There was a Tom Clancy book I remember I liked because he knew enough about the situation in the real world (and I didn't) that I could pretend it could actually be non-fiction.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 12:40 PM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
Conversely, the fiction I have enjoyed tends to be far enough from reality that I'm not picking it apart for its "handy coincidences" and recurring "as if" situations. So Harry Potter is a good example of that. Escapism and interesting world building and characters you get to know book after book. There was a Tom Clancy book I remember I liked because he knew enough about the situation in the real world (and I didn't) that I could pretend it could actually be non-fiction.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 12:40 PM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: @cmcmcm, ThatCanadianGirl:
I do read non-fiction. It isn't as bad as with fiction, but I still have to consciously work against my mental association of "book = homework and deadlines and obligations." I tend to read a lot more on my computer or phone (maybe the association isn't as strong on a device as it is with a physical book?).
posted by arateaa at 12:46 PM on March 30, 2017
I do read non-fiction. It isn't as bad as with fiction, but I still have to consciously work against my mental association of "book = homework and deadlines and obligations." I tend to read a lot more on my computer or phone (maybe the association isn't as strong on a device as it is with a physical book?).
posted by arateaa at 12:46 PM on March 30, 2017
Some years ago, I started to have an adversion to highly emotional fiction because I started feeling manipulated by the author. It's not that the heroine is going to live or die, it's that the author is going to cause the heroine to live or die for some effect or to make some point.
posted by SemiSalt at 12:47 PM on March 30, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by SemiSalt at 12:47 PM on March 30, 2017 [5 favorites]
I have a friend like you who just doesn't enjoy fiction at all no matter what form it comes in. She doesn't even enjoy non-fiction stories or biographies either. She's just not a story person. Some people aren't.
As for what people get out of stories and fiction. This quote is about reading, but for me it also applies to tv and movies and stories in general and why I love them so much: "The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.” ― Alan Bennett, The History Boys
posted by ilovewinter at 12:50 PM on March 30, 2017 [20 favorites]
As for what people get out of stories and fiction. This quote is about reading, but for me it also applies to tv and movies and stories in general and why I love them so much: "The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.” ― Alan Bennett, The History Boys
posted by ilovewinter at 12:50 PM on March 30, 2017 [20 favorites]
Different brains are different.
Reading research (and my own anecdata) suggests people like fiction as a way to wrestle with problems in a contained non-real way. Fairy tales, for example, helped convey good-vs-evil stories to kids in a compelling form that didn't have real-world stakes.
I like to read to inhabit a different emotional landscape for awhile. For a few minutes or hours I'm invested in a set of problems that aren't mine, knowing that the author is going to convey some sort of resolution at the end. I'm both on my own in this territory, and following the trail described by the author's conscious choices. It's both an escape and a form of emotional learning for me. But yes, if I feel overly manipulated I tend to not enjoy the book. I'm a fairly picky fiction reader, and I have no problem abandoning a book if I think it's not enjoyable.
But if you're not into it, you're not into it. I wouldn't worry that it's a sign of anything. I, for example, can't get into gaming in any form of fashion, though I have many wonderful friends who do. I just doesn't fire my "OOH - A STORY!" pistons the way it does for them.
posted by pantarei70 at 12:51 PM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
Reading research (and my own anecdata) suggests people like fiction as a way to wrestle with problems in a contained non-real way. Fairy tales, for example, helped convey good-vs-evil stories to kids in a compelling form that didn't have real-world stakes.
I like to read to inhabit a different emotional landscape for awhile. For a few minutes or hours I'm invested in a set of problems that aren't mine, knowing that the author is going to convey some sort of resolution at the end. I'm both on my own in this territory, and following the trail described by the author's conscious choices. It's both an escape and a form of emotional learning for me. But yes, if I feel overly manipulated I tend to not enjoy the book. I'm a fairly picky fiction reader, and I have no problem abandoning a book if I think it's not enjoyable.
But if you're not into it, you're not into it. I wouldn't worry that it's a sign of anything. I, for example, can't get into gaming in any form of fashion, though I have many wonderful friends who do. I just doesn't fire my "OOH - A STORY!" pistons the way it does for them.
posted by pantarei70 at 12:51 PM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
Fiction is an escape. It allows the reader to imagine themselves in another place and time so they can momentarily forget about their mundane lives. It gives structure to daydream and idle fantasy, a window into a new world that might be more colorful, or exciting, or loving, or mysterious than our own. And it's healthier than drugs.
posted by cuddles.mcsnuggy at 12:54 PM on March 30, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by cuddles.mcsnuggy at 12:54 PM on March 30, 2017 [10 favorites]
Oh I also sometimes just enjoy the writing. The way the author uses language. I remember reading "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" and underlining so many great sentences and paragraphs because of the author's use of language. (That was another example of a fictional work that was far enough removed from reality that I could go along with it.)
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 12:54 PM on March 30, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 12:54 PM on March 30, 2017 [4 favorites]
I probably enjoy fiction because I came from a family of readers, and a house with a shit ton of books in it, and my parents read widely to me and to themselves and subtly and unsubtly reinforced that reading is valuable and books are good, and they took me to the library all the time and gave me books as special gifts. Also, I was born before the internet and before cable even, and even after cable came along, we weren't allowed to watch much.
What do I like about fiction? When it works well, it's transporting, distracting, immersive. It makes me laugh and get carried away. I'll never forget Animal Farm making me cry when I was 11. I still think about certain imaginary worlds I read of years ago: Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea for example... Narnia. Certain characters I read about as a teen, the family in Hotel New Hampshire, the kids in The Snarkout Boys, they formed who I am as a person. Certain books framed my world view and gave me like a developmental leap in how I analyze world or intimate events: Zami for example, or Stone Butch Blues (which are both fictionalized memoirs). Certain fiction has helped me understand historical events and make me experience them in a way that has meaning it never could from just reading purely factual accounts. Other books have had no deep value like that, but I still remember years later just being carried away by the story: like some lighthearted mysteries or thrillers I picked up here and there.
What do I think is actually important about fiction? It seems to work as a distraction in a different way than a lot of other available distractions. While I won't pretend reading fiction makes people smarter, I do think it somehow builds capacity for understanding and curiosity, while also taking you away from real life in a way that provides a respite and relief. Fiction has the potential to increase empathy. I believe it does this.
If you want to get into fiction, I suggest finding a quiet day at the library, and talk to a couple different librarians. Tell them what you said here: the kinds of TV and movies you like. Ask them to make a range of recommendations - short stories, literary fiction, young adult novels, romance novels, graphic novels, anything. Check out 20 books, read the first 10 pages. If they don't grab you, don't keep reading - life's too short. But maybe you'll find something you like?
posted by latkes at 12:55 PM on March 30, 2017 [7 favorites]
What do I like about fiction? When it works well, it's transporting, distracting, immersive. It makes me laugh and get carried away. I'll never forget Animal Farm making me cry when I was 11. I still think about certain imaginary worlds I read of years ago: Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea for example... Narnia. Certain characters I read about as a teen, the family in Hotel New Hampshire, the kids in The Snarkout Boys, they formed who I am as a person. Certain books framed my world view and gave me like a developmental leap in how I analyze world or intimate events: Zami for example, or Stone Butch Blues (which are both fictionalized memoirs). Certain fiction has helped me understand historical events and make me experience them in a way that has meaning it never could from just reading purely factual accounts. Other books have had no deep value like that, but I still remember years later just being carried away by the story: like some lighthearted mysteries or thrillers I picked up here and there.
What do I think is actually important about fiction? It seems to work as a distraction in a different way than a lot of other available distractions. While I won't pretend reading fiction makes people smarter, I do think it somehow builds capacity for understanding and curiosity, while also taking you away from real life in a way that provides a respite and relief. Fiction has the potential to increase empathy. I believe it does this.
If you want to get into fiction, I suggest finding a quiet day at the library, and talk to a couple different librarians. Tell them what you said here: the kinds of TV and movies you like. Ask them to make a range of recommendations - short stories, literary fiction, young adult novels, romance novels, graphic novels, anything. Check out 20 books, read the first 10 pages. If they don't grab you, don't keep reading - life's too short. But maybe you'll find something you like?
posted by latkes at 12:55 PM on March 30, 2017 [7 favorites]
Have you tried reading detective stories or something of that nature? When I'm depressed I have a really hard time enjoying deep or challenging art, or even getting absorbed in a novel, but I can still read something compelling by structure.
posted by stoneandstar at 1:04 PM on March 30, 2017
posted by stoneandstar at 1:04 PM on March 30, 2017
Fiction has a neat narrative arc that real life doesn't. My life might ramble along, peaks and valleys without any discernible direction or ultimate goal, but you can be certain that whichever characters you read about will have a clear arc to follow. It can be satisfying to escape into a world where things have order, in a narrative sense.
posted by uncleozzy at 1:06 PM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 1:06 PM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
Your depression might be feeding this more than you realize. I am a lifelong reader, fiction mostly, short stories most of all. When I am depressed there is no TV show, movie, book, short story, or much of anything else that captures my imagination. I just can't be bothered, I feel manipulated, I don't care about the characters, I feel like it's a waste of time, etc.
posted by headnsouth at 1:14 PM on March 30, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by headnsouth at 1:14 PM on March 30, 2017 [10 favorites]
The movies and TV shows that you've enjoyed are fictional, so it's not that you can't get into "fiction" as a genre. What you can't seem to get into is reading fiction. So ideas mentioned such as escape, seeing different worlds, identifying with characters are things that you are probably open to - at least to some degree - as long as they aren't written down. That makes sense in terms of you associating fiction with homework, etc. Also, since you seem to like comedy, I wonder if you would like fiction that is funny or light. (I realize that you don't seem to love fictional shows as you think others do - but bingewatching Netflix takes a desire to spend a whole bunch of time watching shows - and there are a lot of people who don't want to do that.)
I used to think that I hated exercise and moving my body. I was in my thirties before I took a tai chi class and loved it. I realized then that what I really hated was gym class. A very long time ago, I read an essay called "How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading" - I think in my own case, gym teachers made me hate exercise. So maybe you were taught about fiction in a way that took the joy out of it.
I love fiction. I read it. I write it. I suppose it's partly an escape, but also I consider it a way of engaging with serious ideas and understanding the world. Fiction helps me to think. It's possible that you would like fiction if you read a kind that appealed to you, but it's also possible that you'd never like it. And that's OK. Not everybody has to like everything.
posted by FencingGal at 1:25 PM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
I used to think that I hated exercise and moving my body. I was in my thirties before I took a tai chi class and loved it. I realized then that what I really hated was gym class. A very long time ago, I read an essay called "How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading" - I think in my own case, gym teachers made me hate exercise. So maybe you were taught about fiction in a way that took the joy out of it.
I love fiction. I read it. I write it. I suppose it's partly an escape, but also I consider it a way of engaging with serious ideas and understanding the world. Fiction helps me to think. It's possible that you would like fiction if you read a kind that appealed to you, but it's also possible that you'd never like it. And that's OK. Not everybody has to like everything.
posted by FencingGal at 1:25 PM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm 95% nonfiction / 5% fiction. I've started, and never finished, more fiction books/movies/shows than I can count. I tend to fall into the trap of rolling my eyes at some unbelievable flight of fancy that kills my interest with suspicion--once I'm suspicious of plot devices and gimmicks, I'm no longer paying attention to the narrative, just the threat of more ridiculousness.
But this has also lead me to the kinds of fiction I do like--Mary Doria Russell (an academic before going into writing fiction with academic-inflected storylines about language and space and botany and geography and history), Doris Lessing (an experienced biographer and historian who also wrote fiction about science, the future, other worlds, even metaphysical issues), and so on.
You're not alone. There's no accounting for taste.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 1:34 PM on March 30, 2017 [5 favorites]
But this has also lead me to the kinds of fiction I do like--Mary Doria Russell (an academic before going into writing fiction with academic-inflected storylines about language and space and botany and geography and history), Doris Lessing (an experienced biographer and historian who also wrote fiction about science, the future, other worlds, even metaphysical issues), and so on.
You're not alone. There's no accounting for taste.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 1:34 PM on March 30, 2017 [5 favorites]
There's so many possible explanations for this it'll be hard to pin down the answer. I don't watch much in the way of TV or movies but that's cause of attention stuff (easier to read a few pages of a novel here and there than watch a few minutes of a TV episode), so I'm just gonna mostly focus on reading fiction. Here's some thoughts of mine:
1) Depression can be a really, really big factor in this. This is a very common symptom of depression. My partner struggled with this for years, although they knew that they used to love fiction. Depression + years of papers and deadlines can definitely contribute. It took them about a year after graduating college to be able to read for fun again.
2) What kind of books have you tried to read? Is it possible you just haven't found your niche? For me, I only read fantasy or "weird fiction." Realistic fiction is super boring to me, and I only enjoy very specific forms of sci-fi. If all I'd been reading was realistic fiction, I would definitely think I didn't like fiction either. Perhaps try branching out into different genres. And remember that what's on the bestseller lists is not necessarily what you'll enjoy. Whenever I look at those lists I usually see a bunch of books I would hate. Doesn't mean they're bad, but I definitely wouldn't enjoy them.
3) You mentioned not being able to find a pattern in movies, but Rare Exports, Back to the Future, and Star Wars do all have something in common: they're all scifi/fantasy (in fact hardcore sci fi nerds would probably categorize them all as fantasy). Have you tried exploring those genres further?
4) In the stuff you have enjoyed, think about what you liked and what you didn't. What did you get out of it? For me, the two most important things are characters and creative ideas. I read fantasy for wild, absurd ideas, new ways of looking at the world. Honestly, that's probably my main drive for reading in general. I do care about characters, but I can read a book with unengaging characters if it has really interesting ideas (e.g. China Mieville's work). It's much rarer that I can enjoy something with engaging characters but no interesting ideas.
5) Have you tried a Kindle? My partner had trouble getting into fiction on their phone or computer, but they got a Kindle for Christmas and suddenly have been reading nonstop. I don't know what it is about the Kindle that's so different (ease of access? lack of distractions? the ability to easily switch books) but it's honestly changed their life.
6) Consider whether your years of deadlines and forced reading have made you feel obligated to read things you don't enjoy. This was a problem for me for a long time. I would put books on my to-read list because I felt like I should, and keep reading a book I didn't enjoy because I felt obligated to finish it. If your past experiences have been forcing yourself to read stuff you don't enjoy, that could play a part. The solution I've found is to not read anything I'm not excited about reading. If I don't want to go to the library to pick it up, I'm obviously not interested enough. And if I'm not enjoying something after the first couple of chapters, I put it down. There's going to be tons and tons of books out there you don't enjoy. There may be ones you will enjoy, but there will be fewer and they will be harder to find. So don't waste your time on books you don't enjoy.
Finally, maybe you just don't enjoy fiction. That's fine. You aren't required to. But it seems like you're experiencing some distress over this and would like to like fiction. I think there may be some things you could explore. But don't beat yourself up if you don't find anything you like.
posted by brook horse at 1:38 PM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
1) Depression can be a really, really big factor in this. This is a very common symptom of depression. My partner struggled with this for years, although they knew that they used to love fiction. Depression + years of papers and deadlines can definitely contribute. It took them about a year after graduating college to be able to read for fun again.
2) What kind of books have you tried to read? Is it possible you just haven't found your niche? For me, I only read fantasy or "weird fiction." Realistic fiction is super boring to me, and I only enjoy very specific forms of sci-fi. If all I'd been reading was realistic fiction, I would definitely think I didn't like fiction either. Perhaps try branching out into different genres. And remember that what's on the bestseller lists is not necessarily what you'll enjoy. Whenever I look at those lists I usually see a bunch of books I would hate. Doesn't mean they're bad, but I definitely wouldn't enjoy them.
3) You mentioned not being able to find a pattern in movies, but Rare Exports, Back to the Future, and Star Wars do all have something in common: they're all scifi/fantasy (in fact hardcore sci fi nerds would probably categorize them all as fantasy). Have you tried exploring those genres further?
4) In the stuff you have enjoyed, think about what you liked and what you didn't. What did you get out of it? For me, the two most important things are characters and creative ideas. I read fantasy for wild, absurd ideas, new ways of looking at the world. Honestly, that's probably my main drive for reading in general. I do care about characters, but I can read a book with unengaging characters if it has really interesting ideas (e.g. China Mieville's work). It's much rarer that I can enjoy something with engaging characters but no interesting ideas.
5) Have you tried a Kindle? My partner had trouble getting into fiction on their phone or computer, but they got a Kindle for Christmas and suddenly have been reading nonstop. I don't know what it is about the Kindle that's so different (ease of access? lack of distractions? the ability to easily switch books) but it's honestly changed their life.
6) Consider whether your years of deadlines and forced reading have made you feel obligated to read things you don't enjoy. This was a problem for me for a long time. I would put books on my to-read list because I felt like I should, and keep reading a book I didn't enjoy because I felt obligated to finish it. If your past experiences have been forcing yourself to read stuff you don't enjoy, that could play a part. The solution I've found is to not read anything I'm not excited about reading. If I don't want to go to the library to pick it up, I'm obviously not interested enough. And if I'm not enjoying something after the first couple of chapters, I put it down. There's going to be tons and tons of books out there you don't enjoy. There may be ones you will enjoy, but there will be fewer and they will be harder to find. So don't waste your time on books you don't enjoy.
Finally, maybe you just don't enjoy fiction. That's fine. You aren't required to. But it seems like you're experiencing some distress over this and would like to like fiction. I think there may be some things you could explore. But don't beat yourself up if you don't find anything you like.
posted by brook horse at 1:38 PM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
I love fiction when I get into it, but I find it hard to get into (and I include movies and TV shows in that, not just books). It's easier for me to get into narrative non-fiction: memoirs and biographies, longform journalism, podcasts, documentaries, etc. I haven't pinpointed exactly why, but there are at least a few things that make fiction a little less accessible to me than non-fiction:
A few of the novels I've really enjoyed in recent years have been YA novels. They tend to be quicker-paced, less dense, less overwritten, less male-gazey - though of course there are exceptions - but can still be good and engrossing. That might be an avenue for you to explore.
posted by Metroid Baby at 1:42 PM on March 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
- Fiction often involves more deliberate stylistic choices, and these sometimes get in the way for me. This is especially true with novels; I often dislike writing that feels too "writerly," where every sentence feels overcrafted. I like good writing, but I prefer styles that disappear into the story.
- Fiction can have a lot to keep track of: scores of characters, multiple intertwined plotlines, blink-and-you'll-miss-it symbolism. I'm not great at retaining what I read, and sometimes I'll read all the way through a book or watch a movie and have no idea what happened, which makes me feel kind of dumb. (This ties in with the schoolwork association you mention.)
- There are still a lot of hackneyed, inaccurate tropes in fiction, and if you're in a demographic that gets underrepresented or stereotyped, it can be hard to put that aside. "Sexy lamp" characters, manic pixie dream girls, and male gaze will kill a story for me.
A few of the novels I've really enjoyed in recent years have been YA novels. They tend to be quicker-paced, less dense, less overwritten, less male-gazey - though of course there are exceptions - but can still be good and engrossing. That might be an avenue for you to explore.
posted by Metroid Baby at 1:42 PM on March 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
I find this question interesting, because I grew up in a household that loved reading, had a huge library, always bought me books as presents. I then attended a creative writing summer program when I was 16, and then became an English major.
Throughout the years, I've actually not been a very consistent reader or lover of fiction or non-fiction, despite identifying as a writer and a reader. As a child, I loved reading historical fiction and prose with really fun styling, because it was such an adventure. I never took it too seriously, like I didn't force myself to read every word exactly, but I did like the feeling of having to escape a bit from my dreary elementary school.
Later, having debilitating depression, which would drain all of my energy, made it really hard to enjoy reading. I was exceptionally good at writing college essays for books that I did not read, which I regret since we really did study quite a lot of beautiful novels. However, the amount of energy required to participate and absorb into fiction was not accessible to me. Paradoxically, the times when I would find a text I'd love, with beautiful prose and nuances, I'd get so in-tune with some fiction that I would have trouble leaving the worlds. So I do think there is an activation energy that does get required for reading narrative.
I'm slowly healing and getting back into the habit of reading. What's helped me bridge the gap is reading some very good quality webcomics like Gunnerkrigg Court, where it's a great mix of concepts, human condition, humor, and intriguing characters that helps take a lot of the edge off of reading for me. I find myself still most interested in reading YA fiction that is based on very interesting worlds, like The Golden Compass or The House of the Scorpion. Also, playing 80 Days helped me get back into a love for narrative and being deeply amused by it, so interactive fiction may also help get you a feel for why fiction would be really fun and important.
Most of all, I like reading because it's fun to be in a different world and be surprised by what happens. Sometimes there are some reflections in your own life that come up, or there are answers that you didn't know you needed to questions you didn't know you had, or you are witnessing someone else's tragedy and taking mental notes to not repeat that. There's always something to learn, and stories is often how we transmit wisdom and follies to eachother. Depression made it hard for me to connect to myself, but as I'm learning to re-connect to myself, the more I am able to connect with any form of story, including my own. I hope this helps.
posted by yueliang at 2:11 PM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
Throughout the years, I've actually not been a very consistent reader or lover of fiction or non-fiction, despite identifying as a writer and a reader. As a child, I loved reading historical fiction and prose with really fun styling, because it was such an adventure. I never took it too seriously, like I didn't force myself to read every word exactly, but I did like the feeling of having to escape a bit from my dreary elementary school.
Later, having debilitating depression, which would drain all of my energy, made it really hard to enjoy reading. I was exceptionally good at writing college essays for books that I did not read, which I regret since we really did study quite a lot of beautiful novels. However, the amount of energy required to participate and absorb into fiction was not accessible to me. Paradoxically, the times when I would find a text I'd love, with beautiful prose and nuances, I'd get so in-tune with some fiction that I would have trouble leaving the worlds. So I do think there is an activation energy that does get required for reading narrative.
I'm slowly healing and getting back into the habit of reading. What's helped me bridge the gap is reading some very good quality webcomics like Gunnerkrigg Court, where it's a great mix of concepts, human condition, humor, and intriguing characters that helps take a lot of the edge off of reading for me. I find myself still most interested in reading YA fiction that is based on very interesting worlds, like The Golden Compass or The House of the Scorpion. Also, playing 80 Days helped me get back into a love for narrative and being deeply amused by it, so interactive fiction may also help get you a feel for why fiction would be really fun and important.
Most of all, I like reading because it's fun to be in a different world and be surprised by what happens. Sometimes there are some reflections in your own life that come up, or there are answers that you didn't know you needed to questions you didn't know you had, or you are witnessing someone else's tragedy and taking mental notes to not repeat that. There's always something to learn, and stories is often how we transmit wisdom and follies to eachother. Depression made it hard for me to connect to myself, but as I'm learning to re-connect to myself, the more I am able to connect with any form of story, including my own. I hope this helps.
posted by yueliang at 2:11 PM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
I don't read a lot of fiction because I prefer realism over artifice. So I like Alice Munro, for example, or Miyamoto Teru. I find that I can't really enjoy movies very much either, unless they are "kitchen sink" dramas that explore real people and real situations.
So Richard Linklater's "Before" movies, and "Boyhood" are the sorts of movies I like. And Ken Loach's movies. Or Ozu, Kore'eda Hirokazu and often Jia Zhangke.
I just have a hard time suspending disbelief. I do enjoy non-fiction, though, typically history and biography.
The only TV show I can get into is the Sopranos. Once again, it's very much because the series investigates very common themes in a very common environment.
The only other TV I watch is adult-oriented animation, such as Venture Bros., Bojack Horseman, King of the Hill...
posted by My Dad at 3:19 PM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
So Richard Linklater's "Before" movies, and "Boyhood" are the sorts of movies I like. And Ken Loach's movies. Or Ozu, Kore'eda Hirokazu and often Jia Zhangke.
I just have a hard time suspending disbelief. I do enjoy non-fiction, though, typically history and biography.
The only TV show I can get into is the Sopranos. Once again, it's very much because the series investigates very common themes in a very common environment.
The only other TV I watch is adult-oriented animation, such as Venture Bros., Bojack Horseman, King of the Hill...
posted by My Dad at 3:19 PM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Actually, I experienced what must have been clinical depression just over a decade ago. The thing that really helped me out was hunting for Patrick O'Brian's Aubreyad books (a hot commodity in the used bookstores at the time) and Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novels. O'Brian's writing was really healing, actually.
posted by My Dad at 3:24 PM on March 30, 2017
posted by My Dad at 3:24 PM on March 30, 2017
I identify with a lot of reasons listed above, but here are my two main reasons for reading:
By the nature of existence we're only acquainted with one context and one personality and (as far as we know) one life. I am a shy bookish American second-generation immigrant living in the 21st century and that's all I've ever known and ever will know. But through reading, I've glimpsed what it would be like to live in Hong Kong in the 70s, what it would be like to a confident extrovert lesbian, what it would be like to be a murderer... I think reading has made me much more empathetic and much more aware of how little I know about the backgrounds of people I meet every day. If this reason appeals to you (or if you enjoy reading memoirs), I suggest reading mainly realistic fiction from authors who are drawing primarily from their own backgrounds. You may be surprised how little "fiction" is in this genre.
My second reason for reading and watching fiction is a little harder to explain. Georgia O'Keefe once said (paraphrased) that no one really sees a flower, it's too small- so as an artist, what she does is blow up the flower, make it big, force you to really slow down and contemplate it. A lot of my favorite writers and directors who are dismissed as "slow/boring" give me this feeling. I watch their movies and read their books and afterwards every moment of life feels filled with new significance. The film director and critic Kogonada puts it much better than me in this piece.
Realistic fiction and film is what most often gives me this feeling, but I've actually found it in plenty of other genres. My absolute favorite example of a writer who consistently gives me this feeling is Italo Calvino. Once you read Invisible Cities you will never see a city in the same way again. (Incidentally, if you don't like narratives and characters, this may be a good book to start with- the book is basically a collection of prose poems. It can be slightly difficult to get into, but if you give it patience and time it will reward you.)
That being said, if you're mainly trying to get enjoyment out of reading all I can say is don't force it. Not everyone needs to be a reader. I do think that the empathy engendered by reading fiction is a good trait to have, but you can also get that by reading nonfiction, talking to people, travel...
posted by perplexion at 3:28 PM on March 30, 2017 [6 favorites]
By the nature of existence we're only acquainted with one context and one personality and (as far as we know) one life. I am a shy bookish American second-generation immigrant living in the 21st century and that's all I've ever known and ever will know. But through reading, I've glimpsed what it would be like to live in Hong Kong in the 70s, what it would be like to a confident extrovert lesbian, what it would be like to be a murderer... I think reading has made me much more empathetic and much more aware of how little I know about the backgrounds of people I meet every day. If this reason appeals to you (or if you enjoy reading memoirs), I suggest reading mainly realistic fiction from authors who are drawing primarily from their own backgrounds. You may be surprised how little "fiction" is in this genre.
My second reason for reading and watching fiction is a little harder to explain. Georgia O'Keefe once said (paraphrased) that no one really sees a flower, it's too small- so as an artist, what she does is blow up the flower, make it big, force you to really slow down and contemplate it. A lot of my favorite writers and directors who are dismissed as "slow/boring" give me this feeling. I watch their movies and read their books and afterwards every moment of life feels filled with new significance. The film director and critic Kogonada puts it much better than me in this piece.
Realistic fiction and film is what most often gives me this feeling, but I've actually found it in plenty of other genres. My absolute favorite example of a writer who consistently gives me this feeling is Italo Calvino. Once you read Invisible Cities you will never see a city in the same way again. (Incidentally, if you don't like narratives and characters, this may be a good book to start with- the book is basically a collection of prose poems. It can be slightly difficult to get into, but if you give it patience and time it will reward you.)
That being said, if you're mainly trying to get enjoyment out of reading all I can say is don't force it. Not everyone needs to be a reader. I do think that the empathy engendered by reading fiction is a good trait to have, but you can also get that by reading nonfiction, talking to people, travel...
posted by perplexion at 3:28 PM on March 30, 2017 [6 favorites]
I second the ereader suggestion, it feels somehow very different from reading on paper and may help you get over the homework connotations. I still enjoy reading actual books, but I so much more enjoy reading them on my Kobo.
Also, from your tastes in TV, I suggest you check out Firefly.
posted by MoTLD at 4:21 PM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Also, from your tastes in TV, I suggest you check out Firefly.
posted by MoTLD at 4:21 PM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
One of the great joys about reading or watching fiction for me are what I'll call elegant surprises. The moment when I realize that a character has very different motivations for their actions than I first assumed, and the motivation makes their actions make more sense. Or when a solution to a problem is found, and it's something I never would have thought of, but it makes complete sense once it's presented to me.
Elegant surprises don't happen in most stories I read or watch, but they occur often enough to keep me watching and reading. It's a rare treat for me, because in real life, most surprises are either bad or just random flailing of the universe.
Nthing the sentiment that there's nothing wrong with being uninterested in fiction.
posted by creepygirl at 4:22 PM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
Elegant surprises don't happen in most stories I read or watch, but they occur often enough to keep me watching and reading. It's a rare treat for me, because in real life, most surprises are either bad or just random flailing of the universe.
Nthing the sentiment that there's nothing wrong with being uninterested in fiction.
posted by creepygirl at 4:22 PM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
What I get out of reading fiction depends on my mood and what else is going on in my life. When I working 80+ hours a week for several years, reading a short story before bed was my unwind-time ritual. It was very much about escapism then, taking off my blinders to look at a life outside my own. At one point, when I was suicidal, this book saved my life. So I guess you could say I've gotten a lot out of reading fiction....
It's not clear from your question whether this is something you want to change, or something you want others to acknowledge is ok. Because it's totally ok not to like fiction! But if it's something you want to change, you might try different ways of approaching fiction, as well as different genres. If you are looking for light and comic, as per your TV preferences, try PG Wodehouse's Jeeves stories, or Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. More recently, look for David Sedaris, George Saunders, Zadie Smith (family comedy-drama), Terry Pratchett (for more high-fantasy-parody). If it's an issue with the printed word/associations with schoolwork, see what you think about an oral format like audiobooks or their serialized cousin, podcasts. Lots available for free through Librivox.
posted by basalganglia at 4:51 PM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
It's not clear from your question whether this is something you want to change, or something you want others to acknowledge is ok. Because it's totally ok not to like fiction! But if it's something you want to change, you might try different ways of approaching fiction, as well as different genres. If you are looking for light and comic, as per your TV preferences, try PG Wodehouse's Jeeves stories, or Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. More recently, look for David Sedaris, George Saunders, Zadie Smith (family comedy-drama), Terry Pratchett (for more high-fantasy-parody). If it's an issue with the printed word/associations with schoolwork, see what you think about an oral format like audiobooks or their serialized cousin, podcasts. Lots available for free through Librivox.
posted by basalganglia at 4:51 PM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
I love reading, fiction mostly. But it sometimes bothers me, this emphasis on the fact that there's something wrong with you if you don't like reading.
I know loads of people who never, ever read books of any sort. They're not stupid people. They have actual jobs and live real lives. They just don't enjoy reading.
Some people don't rate music, or art, or dancing, or TV, or cinema, or ballet, or mathematics, or gardening, or golf, or (gasp!) sports of any kind.
Each to their own - and don't jump on me for using "their" there! That's a whole nother argument!
posted by Samarium at 5:40 PM on March 30, 2017
I know loads of people who never, ever read books of any sort. They're not stupid people. They have actual jobs and live real lives. They just don't enjoy reading.
Some people don't rate music, or art, or dancing, or TV, or cinema, or ballet, or mathematics, or gardening, or golf, or (gasp!) sports of any kind.
Each to their own - and don't jump on me for using "their" there! That's a whole nother argument!
posted by Samarium at 5:40 PM on March 30, 2017
I also find most examples of of storytelling thoroughly uncompelling, but I think that's because compelling storytelling is really, really fucking hard and people tend to fall back on the conventions of their given medium. But I happen to love all the movies and shows you mentioned (excepting two with which I am unfamiliar). Don't ask me why but I think you might enjoy Hemingway.
posted by STFUDonnie at 6:03 PM on March 30, 2017
posted by STFUDonnie at 6:03 PM on March 30, 2017
Fiction isn't literal, it's imaginative. When you have a conversation with someone, do you enjoy the imaginative, or do you want the literal?
posted by Vaike at 6:04 PM on March 30, 2017
posted by Vaike at 6:04 PM on March 30, 2017
Some odds and ends.
-Not everyone likes fiction. I can think of three people I know who never read or watch shows and only go to movies if that's what the crowd is doing.
-Why do I like fiction? It feels like getting to know people, ideas, locations that I would never have otherwise known. Sometimes it feels like being understood. Sometimes it puts me in a relaxed yet stimulated mindset whereby my own problems are easier to solve.
-You mention feelings of anxiety attached to reading and I think that's worth exploring. And yes, depression loves to rob you of enjoyment of all kinds. Your anxiety and depression should be treated even if it never brings you around to liking stories. That's what your post seems to really be about to me-- feelings of anxiety and depression, and feeling you're unlike "everyone else" (which is a symptom of both anxiety and depression for me.)
-Left field--it is said that those who read fiction can develop more empathy. Have you ever suspected you struggle with empathy?
-I don't know how old you are but I associate all the stories you list as liking with adolescent boys (though of course anyone can and does love those things.) Did you maybe have a happy childhood until a certain point/event, after which you stopped enjoying stories?
posted by kapers at 6:21 PM on March 30, 2017
-Not everyone likes fiction. I can think of three people I know who never read or watch shows and only go to movies if that's what the crowd is doing.
-Why do I like fiction? It feels like getting to know people, ideas, locations that I would never have otherwise known. Sometimes it feels like being understood. Sometimes it puts me in a relaxed yet stimulated mindset whereby my own problems are easier to solve.
-You mention feelings of anxiety attached to reading and I think that's worth exploring. And yes, depression loves to rob you of enjoyment of all kinds. Your anxiety and depression should be treated even if it never brings you around to liking stories. That's what your post seems to really be about to me-- feelings of anxiety and depression, and feeling you're unlike "everyone else" (which is a symptom of both anxiety and depression for me.)
-Left field--it is said that those who read fiction can develop more empathy. Have you ever suspected you struggle with empathy?
-I don't know how old you are but I associate all the stories you list as liking with adolescent boys (though of course anyone can and does love those things.) Did you maybe have a happy childhood until a certain point/event, after which you stopped enjoying stories?
posted by kapers at 6:21 PM on March 30, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
That's definitely one of the main things I get out of fiction. Do you daydream? I do, quite a lot, which is my internal story reel. Fiction is someone else's story reel for me to follow. I can enjoy fiction (for its style, thoughtful insights, beautiful descriptions...) when I don't care about the characters, but it's harder.
Friend of mine enjoys fiction (movies, mostly) for its storytelling and the visual techniques etc. It's quite interesting to go to the cinema with him cuz it's almost like we are watching two different films.
I don't know tho if you can "force" yourself to enjoy fiction if you don't - or if you should. There are many other people who prefer to read non-fiction, or do something else entirely with their time. Other people will probably have something smarter to say about this than me.
posted by ClarissaWAM at 12:35 PM on March 30, 2017 [4 favorites]