Ask HN: I don't read fiction, how much am I missing out on?

8 pointsby samh748almost 3 years ago

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?

10 comments

rmkalmost 3 years ago

A lot. If you read a lot of nonfiction and are looking to ease into fiction, here are a few suggestions:- 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".

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cratermoonalmost 3 years ago

What are you missing out on?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.

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badpunalmost 3 years ago

Human existence is way to complex to be expressible explicitly, in a form of non-fiction book. Hence, humans have always used storytelling to convey the concept which are difficult to put into words otherwise.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

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muzanialmost 3 years ago

Fiction is very good for your subconscious and moral development. However, I think reading the classics is overrated.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.

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ahazred8taalmost 3 years ago

"What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one left who wanted to read one."

t-3almost 3 years ago

You're not missing out. If anything, you have a good habit in not consuming literary or theatrical entertainment, these things just waste time and don't provide any benefits beyond temporary distraction and possibly a larger vocabulary.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

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moviewisealmost 3 years ago

You could try watching movies based on books: <a href="https://moviewise.substack.com/p/great-movies-based-on-books" rel="nofollow">https://moviewise.substack.com/p/great-movies-based-on-books</a>

kstenerudalmost 3 years ago

Honestly, I'd suggest starting out with a more contemporary and easy author before delving into the classics, for the same reasons Einstein gave about music: <a href="https://www.rd.com/article/the-night-i-met-einstein/" rel="nofollow">https://www.rd.com/article/the-night-i-met-einstein/</a>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.

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anewpersonalityalmost 3 years ago

Honestly, not much.Over 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.

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gregjoralmost 3 years ago

A lot. How many non-fiction books written even a few years ago have anything to say? Compare to fiction, which can tell timeless stories that remain interesting, funny, tragic across decades and centuries.Confining your reading, and therefore your mind, to non-fiction seems very limiting.