Empathy with characters in books
My reading mix is probably 2/3 non-fiction and 1/3 fiction. A lot of what I read is first person accounts of adventure travels or an author telling the adventures of someone. People get into so many situations while traveling. From minor short term discomforts , like a crowded local bus , to life endangering scares like being held at gun point. As a traveler myself I have not had major hiccups... yet. But none of us know what lies ahead. I find myself really feeling for these real people.
But I also tend to get drawn into a work of fiction and find myself caring as much about a fictional character in a story. For example I am reading
Patrick Son of Ireland by Stephen R Lawhead . It is a first person telling of a young man kidnapped by raiders at the end of the Roman times of Briton and taken to Ireland as a slave. Yes totally made up but set in a realistic setting. I find myself feeling sorry for his lot. Does that happen to anyone else when they read?
Oh there was a scene after he took a leaky boat across the river he hiked nude across the countryside.
I believe that stories told in the first person narrative draws us closer to that person. The reader gets to know the character more intimately than if the story were told in third person. In third person the story is told in a more objective way. It can be cold and lacking the intimate emotion and connection to a character.
I had not thought of this before. But any story told in First person causes a reader to care/ feel empathy for a character. I think that may be why I like certain books or movies myself. They are told from a first person point of view. And when the book is over I feel sad at the loss of a good friend.
It all boils down to making an intimate connection. I would hope to convey that in my own writing.
had not thought of this before. But any story told in First person causes a reader to care/ feel empathy for a character.
very true
I feel sad at the loss of a good friend.
oh i know the feeling of that
It all boils down to making an intimate connection. I would hope to convey that in my own writing.
I do some creative writing and drift back and forth between writing in first and third person. Not sure why just the mood i am in
when i put pen to paper.
Yes! We have learned so much and have changed opinions on things after reading things written in first person. Something written with "I" as the subject is so much more meaningful than something written in "You" form. Convince me of something by telling me about your experience - not by saying what I should think.
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