Yes, Fiction Is Consumption
I have been reading fiction for more than a decade. I have lost count of the books I have read. So when I came across a post claiming that reading fiction is just another form of mindless consumption, entertainment masquerading as intellectualism, my first instinct was to leave a scathing reply. Then I stopped. I wondered whether there was any truth to it.
My urge to defend fiction was natural, given how many years I have spent reading it. I write stories and have published two books. I love stories, so I am protective of them. Books have become part of my identity, and any attack on books feels like an attack on me.
So let's assume the argument has merit. Fiction tells stories, just like movies do. There is an undeniable entertainment value. Nobody reads fiction for beautiful sentences alone. We read it for the stories. For how they make us feel. For how we lose track of time while reading. The claim that fiction is just another form of consumption isn't entirely baseless.
But consider the alternatives. Movies are one, but we cannot watch them whenever we want, and there is a limit to how many we can take in. Then there is social media, which eats up a large part of our day and mostly leaves us feeling inferior and inadequate.
Fiction, on the other hand, takes us into a new world filled with characters. Some are dangerous, some are vulnerable, and some are heroes. Nothing is handed to us. Our mind has to absorb the words and build the images itself. We watch every character struggle and then overcome that struggle. A book reads like a fully lived life rather than an anecdote.
The more you engage in this process, the more your mind learns to visualise. You confront emotions you may never encounter in your own lifetime. You understand empathy better because you see how certain experiences shape certain behaviours. You develop a precise vocabulary for your suffering. You begin to see your own reality differently.
A precise vocabulary for your struggles, deeper empathy, a sharper grasp of language. Each of these benefits you on its own. Together, they make you a better thinker. When you think about a topic, you have more reference points to draw on. They may all come from fiction, but that hardly matters. Where a reference point comes from matters less than whether it helps you reach the right conclusion.
This is transformative on many levels. That is why so many people say consistent reading changed the way they think. These elements shape your thinking. How you think shapes your identity. And your identity shapes your relationship with the world.
So yes, I agree that fiction is a form of consumption, a form of entertainment. But it is the most effective form of consumption there is. Nothing else comes close.