Why do we read fiction? Before we answer that question, let’s back up a bit. Let’s go deep into our past. Let’s journey back 300,000 years.
There we find a group of early homo sapiens sitting around the campfire, having just eaten their fill of ancient gazelle, with perhaps some snake on the side, and what are they doing aside from digesting supper? My money is on them telling stories. Probably exciting stories of the hunt, or of the time they had to chase off another group of hominids that were trying to steal the lush hunting ground.
I’m also willing to wager there was a lot of acting that accompanied these stories. And what purpose did the stories serve? Why to entertain, of course. They also provided a vicarious experience for the non-hunters, and formed part of the group culture.
So back to our initial question. Why do we read fiction? We do so for the same reasons our early ancestors told stories: entertainment, vicarious experiences, and to celebrate our culture.
Very soon I’ll be publishing Book 7 in the Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mystery series: Death Makes a House Call.
My purpose in telling you the latest adventure of Tina and Harry is primarily to entertain you. If you have a vicarious experience along the way and celebrate American culture as found in the Land of 10,000 Lakes — so much the better.
In fact, the above is my purpose in all of the Justinia Wright books and stories. You can find more about them here.
Readers do in fact find the Justinia Wright series highly entertaining, with plenty of vicarious experiences to boot! And that makes me very happy. Because at the heart of the matter, fictioneers are entertainers.
Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!
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