Literary Fiction and Empathy

"Maybe popular fiction is a way of dealing more with one's own self, maybe with one's own wants, desires, needs."

 "...there is no single, overarching authorial voice...each character presents a different version of reality, and they aren't necessarily reliable..."

Literary fiction can be an essential resource in understanding other literary works. It helps the readers imagine the world they are put into; the readers are given a visual to the work they're shoved to. By use of literary fiction, the reader gets propelled into the world of the character they are trying to analyze. It ultimately gives them a better sense of understanding the feelings, thoughts, ideas, and wants to character evokes. The reader is given a silver lining, a connection, to the character thus resulting in a better understanding of the work.

In Hamlet, the reader gets to feel the emotional turmoil that Shakespeare evokes out of the characters. We are thrust into Prince Hamlet's world, the pain, anger, and disgust he feels towards his own family. This show of emotions allow us to connect more with the story, and to Hamlet himself. As a teenager myself, I see myself in his shoes. The betrayal I would feel if my own mother did something as heinous as Queen Gertrude did, I'd see myself acting like Hamlet.