Ask HN: I don't read fiction, how much am I missing out on?
Aside from the readings way back in school, I haven't touched any fiction. I haven't felt the need for it (I went into the sciences), and in general I just no longer have the patience to follow entire storylines (eg I also don't watch any shows).
However, as I spend more time in social science and humanities spaces, I find myself running into literary references (especially the classics) more often that I would have expected, to the point where I'm now wondering how much am I missing out on if I don't understand these references? How much am I missing out on if I've never read these classics, or just fiction in general?
Ironically, I feel that now as an adult I'd appreciate these a lot more than back then when it was required.
If I were to try reading fiction, especially the classics, where/how should I start? Maybe some shorter titles that may help pique my interest in fiction? Any particular works that are must-reads, more so than the others?
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[ 3.3 ms ] story [ 77.1 ms ] threadOver time, I've found more and more fiction to be formulaic and not enticing. Mostly to make a quick buck.
Not to mention, internet induced ADD makes works of the old masters inaccessible.
I remember one time, the internet told me to read this book - The KingKiller chronicles. An amazing rating almost everywhere. The reality? It's laughably bad. Like middle school bad. And this is a top fantasy book?
Self improvement is possible without fiction. Nothing to see here.
A couple hints:
Almost all fantasy is terrible.
Almost everything the internet likes is terrible.
Almost everything in a series format is terrible.
Moby-Dick. Don Quixote, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, The Call of the Wild, Lord of the Flies, The Painted Bird, The Handmaid's Tale, 2001: A Space Odyssey, On the Beach, Naked Lunch, I Am Legend, The Grapes of Wrath, Last and First Men, Frankenstein,
Try to avoid "Great Books" lists, though. Ask your closest friends who they read. Or if a literary reference comes up that sparks your curiosity, ask where it's from and read that. Did you like a movie? Look it up on IMDB and see if it is based on or borrows from a book (you'd be surprised how many movies are drawn from books, even if they aren't direct adaptations.
Pick one, read it a while. Give it a chance, some start slow. If it doesn't resonate, move on to the next one. If you like a book, try another book by the same author, or from the same genre/era. Follow your curiosity.
The classics tend to be harder to approach due to the many cultural references contemporary to their time, and also their literary devices and techniques that are part of what led to their selection as classics to begin with. Without that background knowledge, you'll feel lost and frustrated, and there's little point in reading things if you can't enjoy them.
I started my journey into history and the classics later in life. I never thought I'd ever actually enjoy reading Shakespeare, and yet King Lear is one of my favorites (but it takes a lot of background knowledge to enjoy).
So start with someone contemporary to the last 30 years or so. Think of the genres of TV shows or movies you do enjoy, and then seek out famous authors of those genres.
Here are some authors I've enjoyed in the more "addition and subtraction" end of literature. Temba, his arms wide:
- Stephen King (horror, suspense) - fun fact: Did you know that "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" is one of the few non-horror short stories he wrote? And I daresay his best.
- Terry Pratchett (comedy, fantasy) - Spent many an evening giggling uncontrollably with his Discworld novels.
- Douglas Adams (comedy, scifi)
- Robert Heinlein (scifi) - "Stranger in a Strange Land" is still my favorite scifi story. This is where the term "grok" comes from.
- Tom Clancy (drama, thriller, spy)
- John Steinbeck (drama, depression era) - "Of Mice and Men" is particularly good, and a source of many references. Whenever you hear references to Lenny and the rabbits and the puppy, it's referring to this book.
- Farley Mowatt (drama, environmentalism) - Most famous for "Never Cry Wolf"
TBH I'm a little jealous... You're about to discover a whole world.
Thanks so much for the thorough and helpful response! especially the note on the classics being more difficult. A lot to chew on and explore, that's for sure!
And thanks for the article on Einstein and music; coincidentally I've been trying to appreciate music more as well. hmmm
:)
One more thing I'd add: Don't let anything or anyone pressure you into rushing. You can only discover things once and it's such a delightful experience, so take all the time you feel like to enjoy the moment!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVIhDhN7Nxw
With that said, if you're going to consume fiction, here are some authors that you probably won't regret reading (in no particular order, and by no means exhaustive): Ursula le Guin, C.J. Cherryh, Stanislaw Lem, L.E. Modesitt Jr., Ed Dodge, Gene Wolfe, Robert Heinlein, R. Scott Bakker, Terry Pratchett, Isaac Asimov, Upton Sinclair, R.A. Lafferty, Walter M. Miller Jr., Dan Simmons, Albert Camus, Roger Zelazny, Kurt Vonnegut, C.S. Forester, Diana Wynne Jones, Russel Hoban, Iain Banks, Peter S. Beagle, Peter Watts, Tanith Lee, Vernor Vinge
reading fiction makes me feel better and less alone, it helps me feel connected to other people who are like me. it has saved my life. it can open your mind to how other people think. it can teach you different worldviews and helps you become more empathetic. i'm only speaking for myself, but OP you're missing out. you just gotta find the right fiction that you like reading and relate to.
it's hard to say where to start, just start with a classic that seems curious and if you get bored then put it down and read something else. hemingway might be a good place to start — shorter, tight writing, not boring.
With fiction, especially classic literature, it can often feel like I'm "ought to" read XYZ, which was quite demotivating. But I love your point on finding what I like reading and relate to; makes a ton of sense!
Overall that's a very narrowly-focused list, and I doubt I'd find more than a couple of dozen from all of them.
Anyway, The Jungle is a classic by any measure, Dau is a classic, Downbelow Station and most of the rest of Cherryh's catalog, Horatio Hornblower, The Book of the New Sun, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Hyperion, Riddley Walker, Blindsight... I could keep going all night. Listing these off, I realize that I forgot Dostoevsky in my list. Paulo Coelho should probably be there too.
20th century writers, modernists and later. Yes, you added Dostoevsky in your follow-up, and he happens to fall in late 19th century, but still, modern.
How about Daniel Defoe, Ann Radcliffe, Murasaki Shikibu, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Thomas Malory, or Attar of Nishapur? Also, One Thousand and One Nights, various anonymous authors.
- Read historical fiction, or fiction that is extremely well-researched. I like James Michener.
- Read travel and adventure type stories. Personal favorites in this category are The Treasure Island by R L Stevenson, and The Coral Island by R M Ballantyne. Both are not particularly long, and the original is still suprisingly readable in this day and age. Bonus: these are extremely well-regarded classics. I personally find Ballantyne's usage of the English language very pleasant and enjoyable. Stevenson's writing in another classic, Kidnapped, will leave you feeling as if you have lived all your life in Scotland.
- If you want to read something very serious, then perhaps 1984 may be a good choice in our troubled times of persistent surveillance and abuse of language for nefarious ends.
- If you want something light, then go no further than P G Wodehouse: there are many fine books to read by this author, such as the excellent Right Ho, Jeeves, Service With a Smile, or Galahad at Blandings. You couldn't go very wrong with Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome, or Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith.
- If you want something that is easy to read, but still profound, try Ernest Hemingway. I recommend A Farewell to Arms, or The Old Man and The Sea. This counts as serious literature, so just steer clear of this if you don't want to read "Literature".
What do you mean exactly by serious literature/"Literature"?
Confining your reading, and therefore your mind, to non-fiction seems very limiting.
A Christmas Carol is probably one of the most impactful works on modern society. Most of us have never read the book, but society now acknowledges that they're happier keeping Tiny Tim alive than bringing their wealth to the grave.
It's like when you put a tomato in soup. The tomato becomes bland but the soup more flavorful. Reading the original is like eating the tomato after eating the soup. The lessons from the classics have permeated society.
My favorites: - "East of Eden" by Steinbeck
- "Map and Territory" Michel Houellebecq (especially recommended to tech crowd/founders, as it is about alienation of a modern creator). "Platform" and "Atomised" are also fantastic - the guy is potentially the greatest living writter today.
- "From Here to Eternity" James Jones
- the big ones by Dostoyewski
Houellebecq's works look fascinating! Will def look into all these! :)