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The Uses of Literature: Their Hands?
The Uses of Literature: Their Hands?
Is literature really useful to us? Does it really help in any noticeable way, besides
than being a hobby, a favourite pastime of some (not quite social, one might argue)
people, who like to spend considerable amounts of their lives sitting in a chair with a
book in their hands?
Well, I dare say yes, it is. Reading literature has had quite a few beneficial effects on
mankind in the last couple of centuries. The following musings own a great deal to the
impressive book of Harvard Psychologist Steven Pinker, called ′′The Better Angels of Our
Nature: The Decline of Violence in History and Its Causes′′.
One of its main theses is that violence declined in Europe and NorthAmerica over
the centuries due to economical and rational factors. Key elements in diminishing
interpersonal aggressions and wars alike were works of literature dealing mostly with
Tom′s Cabin′′ lead to a movement (and also a war) that had as final outcome the abolition
of slavery. Similarly, Charles Dickens′ ′′David Copperfield ′′ put the issue of children
working under precarious circumstances in factories in the spotlight, which promoted the
development of child protection in England and then throughout the world.
The reason why literature can have such an extraordinary influence on our lives
and, implicitly, on the wellbeing of our society is called empathy. Literary works,
narrating events in the first person singular, thaught their readers to change
perspectives, look from another vantage point to the problems of other, put themselves in
other people′s shoes.
Caught in the web of the sufferings of a fictitious personage, the reader will learn
afterwards to better appreciate the situation and feelings of other people, putting aside
differences like skin colour, for example.
Albeit not the only decisive reason of the changes that civilised our society,
literature definitely played a huge role in making us more humane.
And, besides that, reading literature is fun too.