When fiction dissolves...

[ewomack]

Not too long ago I was discussing books with a friend and the subject of fiction intruded into our conversation. We were discussing the books we had recently read and none of them, it turns out, were fiction. "Recent" meant the past 2 -3 years as we live on different continents and don't speak as often as we would like. A startling revelation shot before us. We had both unconsciously ceased reading fiction without realizing it. This horrified us, since we both consider ourselves lovers of good books and undoubtedly many good books get subsumed under fiction. But what were our last attempts? His was Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow," which he had tried to read unsuccessfully four times. Mine was a Salman Rushdie book that I could never quite start after having read six of his books. It turns out we never picked up fiction again. I haven't, though I still have uncracked and pristine fiction on my shelves.

We found the same problem with movies. We both preferred documentaries over dramas, comedies, etc. This was another "recent" development. In essence, our diversions had diverged from fictional categories. He cited a study, he didn't have the name or author, that claimed that men as they get older (over 35) tend to lose interest in fiction and move towards "real life" such as documentaries and non-fiction reading. According to the study, this happens on a lesser scale with women. Though I have reservations about any study, this one rang true for both of us. We were stunned since we used to read piles of fiction. Some ten years ago my fiction reading piled high over my non-fiction. Now the fiction languishes.

Though this conversation happened some months ago and shocked me I still haven't had the desire to read fiction. So now I'm consciously not reading it. This feels strange. I bought a Cormack McCarthy book about three months ago as a test and I still haven't touched it. What's happened?!?!

 

[Peder]

This is not a "deep" answer, but maybe just one to keep the discussion going.

Perhaps you are just going through a "phase," that catch-all word for something that might be just temporary. Maybe it's time to shift genres, or maybe you have just shifted genres and are still infatuated with the new. Maybe you have just gotten good at recognizing what no longerr interests you in fiction. But it is a very broad category, so I wouldn't write it all off. Grab something unconventional and give it a try -- and keep trying, even if each book only gets scanned for a few paragraphs. Noted authors are noted for some reason, so there is a good chance that one might appeal to you.

I'm still reading fiction (and non-fiction), but my interest is shifting more toward noticing how the story is told, in addition to what the story is. (If you want someone bracing, try Beckett ).

And, on the other hand, all of literature -- fiction and non-fiction -- has more than anyone can read, so what difference anyway if you miss out on fiction? I've known people who do, and it doesn't seem to be the end of the world for them. So how important is it to you, and why?

 

[Bob Magness]

I have noticed the older I get the more non-fiction I read, though I would still say 2/3 of what I read is fiction. That trend may continue but I highly doubt I will ever abandon fiction completely. I enjoy it too much and it offers an escape from the stresses of everyday life. This might be a phase you are going through and it might not. I wouldn’t worry about it either way.

 

[sparkchaser]

I notice myself reading more non-fiction, too. I try to keep a 1:1 ratio but that's hard for me to stick to.

 

[Will]

I have found this to be very much the case. I still love, and will always love fiction, but non-fiction titles definitely pull me in with much greater ease than they used to.

 

[ewomack]

Interesting. Well, perhaps the study had something. Though all studies end up generalizations to some degree.

Though no one seems as extreme as me, I wonder what would cause a decline in fiction reading with age? My only theory is that as I've aged (and I'm not really that old) time has become more of a premium and there's an implicit pressure ground into our society that time should get used "efficiently." Maybe in this light fiction seems less "educational" and more pure entertainment than non-fiction? So reading time becomes more about educational self-improvement than entertainment, so non-fiction seems more "useful." I know it's not a fair dichotomy since a lot of fiction can be very educational and more than a few non-fiction ends up frivolous (or it turns out as fiction in the end).

Andy Partridge (sadly, formerly of XTC) said some years ago that he doesn't like fiction because why should he read something that was made up when he can read something just as exciting that wasn't made up? This gels somewhat with Philip Roth's idea that fiction writers can no longer keep up with the headlines. Reality has become sensationalized enough. But one could also argue that that's a narrow definition of fiction.

Any thoughts?

 

[Peder]

Interesting. Maybe in this light fiction seems less "educational" and more pure entertainment than non-fiction? So reading time becomes more about educational self-improvement than entertainment, so non-fiction seems more "useful." . . .

. . . This gels somewhat with Philip Roth's idea that fiction writers can no longer keep up with the headlines. Reality has become sensationalized enough.

Any thoughts?

Just a few crumbs to feed into the discussion.

I buy a fair amount of non-fiction on topics that interest me (I say), but then end up reading fiction that I have also bought, while the non-fiction just sits. So go figger.

In terms of "sensationalized" reality, I might not disagree. But I have found that reading the news is not a good way to get informed on (any?) current issues of the day. When I have wanted actual information I have resorted to current books and found them much more informative than anything I have found in the papers (even in the revered NYT). As for print vs TV news (even CNN), heaven forefend! I turned off my TV long ago, so 'nuff said about my troglodyte opinion.

In sum, I guess it is "yes" when it comes to using books to become informed or educated, even if that still does not dominate my reading time.

Clear as mud? I think so.

 

[anu]

Interesting discussion, and to add some more spice to the dish, my two cents:

I feel that whenever you read something written by someone else, or for that matter, presented on TV, some amount of add-on to reality is bound to happen. After all, nobody is able to transfer the facts in its intact original form i.e. a little sprinkle of fiction into facts happen on regular basis. Believe it or not, it is really hard to ignore fiction consciously, it may creep into the most unlikely places unannounced, undetected .

Though, I do agree with one's personal choice to read imaginary stories or the real ones, presented in an appealing manner, it would be an extreme to avoid fiction consciously.

Having said so, I believe that tastes change with time. It may be that you have read so many similar sounding plots/stories/books that you are not ready to bear one more. Why not jump genres, read a hitherto unread author and see whether your interest in human creativity is restored or not. And, even if it is not, never mind. There are hundreds of writers, thousands of books and truckloads of information one has to digest in a short life time, so why bother about categorizing the books.

 

[Fantasy Moon]

I've always seemed to read more fiction than non-fiction. Most of my non-fiction intake has been centered around my history special interests, i.e. Ancient Egypt, Civil War. However, I have noticed in the past few years that I've gravitated toward memoirs. A few even make it to my list of favorite books.

 

[smblomker]

I went through not reading fiction for awhile. Partly because I started noticing what I've been reading has gotten a little boring or it seemed all the books were written the same.
I'm back to reading them again now. I love a good story. Non_fiction hasn't really given me much in choices when it comes to reading. I guess its just me.