How fiction can change reality - Jessica Wise

Reading and stories can be an escape from real life, a window into another world -- but have you ever considered how new fictional experiences might change your perspective on real, everyday life? From "Pride and Prejudice" to Harry Potter, learn how popular fiction can spark public dialogue and shape culture.

Lesson by Jessica Wise, narration by Emilie Soffe, animation by Augenblick Studios.

[alonespirit_Q]

"Fiction is a lie which tells the truth" - Neil Gaiman, Book: Art Matters.

[mckennaellington]

I'm crying my eyes out over this. As someone who strives to become an author one day, this really inspires me. Any form of fiction has the power to change and shape who we become, and I hope one day I can write something that can help someone in a positive way.

[tangelaserls]

Narratives are powerful. They reflect on reality and challenge us to change our perspectives.

[view]

Me looking for my classmates in the comments because my teacher assigned us to watch this video lol

[helenayan]

I think that reading fiction gives one great insight to life and people. I've noticed that it has become easier for me to put myself in someone else's shoes and take a walk in them. Reading fiction has really help me look at things in other people's perspective and become more understanding/ forgiving... or maybe it was just me maturing... :D

[satnamo]

Without thought there is no thinker.
Thought is the thinker himself.
With our thoughts, we create our reality;
Reading is like thinking with another person's head!

[anyataylor]

I literally almost cried every when you mentioned Seekers they are my favorite books and no one seems to know that they exist!!

[ramanunnikrishnan]

I had always thought that I was a sore loser reading fiction because my goal in life is to be a scientist.I love fiction but I had a belief that most of my ideas won't work because they were from fictious book and started reading non fiction.

[Bradezone]

Glad to find this! I just told a group of friends the other day that the thing that shapes our character the most is long-form books (although I was including nonfiction as well). Even more so than movies & music, it seems books are the keys to changing our thinking in a permanent way.

[bronzejourney]

0:40 I hate to see that Video Games are not considered as an art form as well, with books/movies. Movies or books lets you follow the story through the hero's steps, in video games, you can also choose the steps YOU are going to take in the fictional world created by the author. Becuase of this, such a great insult it is to miss Video Games while talking about art forms.

[JakeJohnRogers]

I've read Heart of Darkness, Animal Farm, Crime and Punishment, All Quiet on the Western Front, 1984, Romeo and Juliet, The Trial and about to start the Brothers Karamazov.
Still the Harry Potter books are some of the most entertaining and enjoyable narratives to read.

[cocodiieen]

I'm glad I watched this, because lately my cousins have been indirectly undermining me for reading non fiction. I started out reading self help books and then started out on fiction with classics. And by reading them a tiny part of me felt reading quality fiction is more impacting than reading a dozen self help books. In the former we travel with protagonists' life and see how they each react in different situations. I gave up on self help books unless they are of matter I wanted to study and learn!

[Skeiths]

"You don't believe in the power of fiction? It may not be a physical power, but our wish will surely be received by someone. If fiction has the power to touch people's hearts, then that power can change the world" -K1-B0

[EGRJ]

2:45 Harry would be absolutely nothing without his "fam" backing him up, and he knows this. Every victory he achieves is due to love and friendship. It's kind of the central theme of the series.

3:30 The central theme of the Hunger Games is marketing. I suppose capitalism is a part of that.

[NekoMouser]

Agreed. In MANY ways, I think it is a shame that twilight is affecting people's minds, but you can't realistically deny that it is doing so. And that was the actual point the speaker was making--not a moral call on whether it's having done so is good or bad, but merely that it does affect its readers.

[Vulppix]

Whoa- Seekers??? Totally wasn't expecting that series to be in this...

[ktchimmy]

1:04 this is true!!
The movies we watch makes us open our eyes more than the studies we learn in school sometimes

[deadman]

twilight only message was "Do what ever your boyfriend tells you to do."

[enamabam]

I recently read Pamela for fun and it's pretty funny how, for being controversial and novel in its day, it still presents for the modern reader (or for me anyway) an almost comically traditional and foreign world and worldview.

[phily]

I never used to like fiction books, only non fiction. However now I see the value of how it expands your imagination - the quality that Einstein valued the most.