What is my purpose for reading a novel?

What is my purpose of reading a novel? I was recently thinking of this when reading an article in my humanities textbook, entitled Reading in a Digital Age.  It is a fantastic article, one I would highly recommend you read.

In the article, Sven Birkerts, talks about how Google and computers are changing the way we as Americans read.  He shows how the more we use computers, the shorter our attention spans.  I personally have spent quite a bit of time on a computer.  I had the same thought.  He says that we expect our books to be like Google; to the point in a short amount of time.

He says that many people are unable to concentrate long enough to read the classics.  This has led to the rise of the novel.  A novel is typically about 200-400 pages, easy to read and follow.  I have noticed that the past few years the books I enjoy the most are novels.  I have read many classics, but they are written in a way I am not familiar with.  They are just harder to read.

Birkets talks about how he loves reading novels.  He does not remember the sequences of events after a few weeks of any particular novel, but he does remember themes and lessons.  He says that he has learned a lot about human nature in his readings.

There are some reasons I have reading novels.  I love novels because they allow me to live another life.  Not literally, but in my imagination.  I absolutely love Harry Potter because in those books, you see the transformation of a child into a man.  Yes, the books are written about evil, but there is truth in it.  I believe that truth is found everywhere, among all peoples.

I love fiction because of the life lessons learned.   In the book, Hanging by the Thread, I learned the importance of economic freedom.  I learned out if we lose this freedom, we are no longer free.  In the book The Alliance, I have learned the importance of self-growth.  I saw how hard it is to fight evil.  I learned that evil does need to be resisted, no matter the cost.  In Alas, Babylon, I have learned the importance of leadership.  Leadership is important, especially when traditional leadership breaks down.  We need people who are willing to make a stand for what is right.

What has reading novels done for me?  I feel like I am a better human being because I have seen how normal human emotions can make or break people.  I have seen, without really seeing, how people have a choice in every moment; they choose to be happy or sad; they can choose evil or good.  Just because someone chooses good one day does not mean they will the next.  In novels, I have seen people change for the better, and also for the worst.

There is nothing wrong with reading novels.  A good novel can teach you much about human nature.  I thought it was interesting that the popularity of the novel has risen with the rise of the internet.  I love the classics and believe that people should read them.  Basically, I think the more people read the better.