IMPACT OF FICTIONAL BOOKS IN THE MORAL FIBRE OF PHILIPPINE SOCIETY

BY RHEA ALCANTARA CRISTINA DELA CRUZ KRIS ANNE KAY MAROLLANO

ENGLISH 1023 PROFESSOR CARLOS A. GARCIA MARCH 19, 2014

2 Topic Outline IMPACT OF FICTIONAL BOOKS IN THE MORAL FIBRE OF PHILIPPPINE SOCIETY

Thesis Statement: As modern day reading habits continue to evolve in our country, there is a trend that our society will have benefits and disbenefits from reading fictional books. I. II. Introduction: Definition of fiction, kinds of fiction, and thesis statement Origin of fictional books A. During Middle Ages B. High Middle Ages at the 12th century C. King Arthur stories D. 19th centuries III. Importance of reading fictional books A. Importance as to life 1. Allows to learn other lives 2. Compare experiences 3. Learn how to appreciate beauty of language 4. Inspires, entertains, and teaches life lessons B. Importance as to reasons 1. Reveals truth 2. Strengthens imagination 3. Manifests beauty 4. Expands horizons

3 5. Makes better writers 6. Fun IV. Impact of fictional books on moral fibre A. Benefits from fictional books 1. Improve the ability to understand others 2. Makes comfortable with ambiguity 3. Change an individuals personality 4. Repair moral failing B. Disbenefits from fictional books 1. Influence subsequent behaviour a. Physical aggression b. Relational aggression 2. Allows to safely test moral fibres against the anathemas 3. Allows to experience taboos 4. Plays on emotions V. Impact of fictional books on society A. Benefits from fictional books 1. Improves understanding 2. Creates empathy B. Disbenefits from fictional books 1. Power to modify the principles 2. Warp our sense of reality VI. Conclusion:

4 Impact of Fictional Books in the Moral Fibre of Philippine Society

Since then, fictional books are widely known and patronized by people. Some of those books are absolutely known by everyone just like the works of William Shakespeare which are still patronized and read by people up until today. Reading those books became their hobbies, pastime, and source of knowledge, motivation, inspiration, and etcetera. What is fiction, anyway? Fiction came from the Latin word ficti which means the act of making, fashioning, or molding. It is a literature that is created from the imagination of the author, not presented as a fact, though it may be based on a true story or a situation depending upon the author (Brittanica Encyclopedia). There are different kinds of fiction that a certain author may write. Some of the kinds that are commonly read by readers are romance novels, fantasy fiction, literary fiction, historical fiction, science fiction, mystery, and popular fiction. As modern day reading habits continue to evolve, there is a trend that our society will have benefits and disbenefits from reading fictional books. During the Middle Ages, books were perceived as exclusive and authoritative. People automatically assumed that whatever was written in a book had to be true (Mortensen). Even though, many of the contents of the book are supposed to be wrong, it will become right in their eyes and minds. Most people during those times only knew the Bible, which was believed as the book that will tell the truth about the world. Thus, it came as a big surprise when books full of

5 fabrications first started to appear in the 12th century. The average person only ever saw books in church, where the priest read from the bible. Because of this, the written word was generally associated with truth. Up until the High Middle Ages in the 12th century, writing fiction became a common practice to the people there especially the monks. The perception of books was no different among learned monks, who studied books about science and philosophy in the large monasteries of the Middle Ages. The monks presumed that the descriptions of the paths of the planets and the human soul were ancient truths like the words that are written in the Bible. The books read by the religious men had been passed on from generation to generation for centuries, and this meant that they acquired a special authority. One can only understand something as a fiction if an invisible contract has been formed between author and reader beforehand. A contract says: this is only makebelieve (Mortensen). The invisible contract between the author and the reader first started and appeared during the Middle Ages after a few hundred years after the death of Jesus, when it became common practice to think up continuations to the events in the Bible and write them down as truth. Christians in the ancient times didnt feel that the Bible provided them with all the answers they were looking for. The Bible offers a lot of information about the life of Jesus, but there are also gaps in the descriptions, such as when the Son of God returns to Earth after his death and stays there for almost 40 days. Those gaps were filled by the use of their imagination due to their curiosity.

6 Mortensen and his colleagues have reached their findings by reading religious, philosophical, scientific and historic books from the ancients and the Middle Ages. While reading, they estimated whether the books established a fiction contract with their readers: did the book suggest a tacit agreement that it was all make-believe, or was the reader supposed to believe every single word. This enabled the researchers to piece together when signs of a tacit agreement or fiction contract first started to appear in Europe. However, as the fiction contract between readers and writers had not yet been established, people readily assumed that the descriptions they found in the books were true. There are several examples of books from the Middle Ages and antiquity being partly or entirely fictional. Most of these were history books with fictional elements. The first novels were King Arthur stories. It was the first straightforward work of fiction written in the 1700s by the Frenchman Chretien de Troyes. It is the story about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table which became popular during those times up until today. It is one of the most important findings published in the new book Medieval Narratives between History and Fiction. However, several hundred years passed before the fiction contract became a wholly integrated part of book culture in European countries. It wasnt until the 19th century that it becomes a common practice to divide literature into fiction and non-fiction. And perhaps some of the medieval blind faith in the credibility of the books still lingers today.

7 As of today, various readers are getting more interested in reading fiction. It is because of the good things that fiction pays back to the readers. Reading fiction allows an individual to learn about other lives and other times that can be applied to their own. It also allows comparing experiences with the experiences of characters that have been created by the writers to make a point (Heady). Fiction imitates life, but it also puts readers in situations they may never experience. Fiction allows readers to travel to places they have never been and meet people they never would otherwise. It inspires, entertains and teaches everything from life lessons to vocabulary (Anderson). There are six (6) reasons why reading fiction is important. First, it reveals truth. Even if its a fiction, there is a hidden truth behind it. Second, it strengthens ones imagination. A persons imagination is the most powerful tool in writing fiction. Third, it manifests beauty. Fourth, it expands horizons. Fiction widens an individuals window in reality. Fifth, it makes better writers. And sixth, it is fun. In the study titled, Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Novel on Connectivity in the Brain," which was recently published in the journal Brain Connectivity, reading fiction was found to improve the reader's ability to put themselves in another persons shoes and flex the imagination in a way that is similar to the visualization of a muscle memory in sports. Reading fiction can also change an individuals personality when one has read such books that can be influential to him/her. Fiction can also make one more comfortable with ambiguity wherein they expressed greater comfort with uncertainty and chaosattitudes that allow for higher level thinking and greater creativity. Reading fiction can repair an individuals moral failing. He/she can improve on his/her mistakes by reading such books which contains good stories.

8 On the other hand, researchers report that reading literature, particularly in fiction, depicting aggression can affect or influence the readers in response to their provocation. Reading aggression [in fictional books] can influence subsequent aggressive behavior, which tends to be specific to the type of aggression contained in a story (Coyne). Hence, Coyne and her colleagues conduct two experiments to demonstrate the impact of reading fictional books relating to aggression. Aggression is divided into two types: physical and relational, which is defined as behavior aimed at harming a persons relationships or social standing in the group (Coyne). Slapping someone on the face is physical aggression and spreading nasty rumors about them is relational aggression. Based on the study, those who read a fictional description of physical violence were more likely to punish an irritating stranger by making him/her physically uncomfortable. And in both cases, provoked people who were given the opportunity to engage in a particular form of retaliatory violence were most likely to do so if they have just read a fictional story which is similar to their situation. Another purpose of literature has always been to allow us to safely test our moral fibres against the anathemas such as killing, adultery, incest, pornography, theft, and anarchy that have all been explored in various forms of literature. Fictional books also allow individuals to experience such taboos. Readers might read some taboos in a certain book in which there is a possibility that they will apply it to their lives. According to Landy, literature plays on our emotions instead of giving us rational reasons to adopt new beliefs, so we can easily be manipulated by it. Getting people to change their views based on emotions is not an unambiguously positive thing.

9 Reading fictional books can also affect the society or the social life of an individual. Reading fiction also improves understanding of other which has a very basic importance in ones society, not just in the general way of making the world a better place by improving interpersonal understanding, but also in the field of politics, business, and education. Fictional books also create empathy for their lead characters. Because we identify with their struggles, we begin to share their frustration for societal problems that plague them. (Oatley) Disbenefits from reading fictional books may apply to readers if they dont know what is right. Fiction is dangerous because it has the power to modify the principles of individuals and whole societies. It can be the cause of changing such laws and others. Fiction also is often indecent, immorality, and simple selfishness storytellers virtually always put us in a position to judge wrongdoing, and we do so with relish. Also, fictions happy endings seem to warp our sense of reality. They make us believe in a lie that the world is more than just it actually is (Gotschall). Reading fictional books will help feed your mind and understand the feelings or the deeper understanding of self of an individual. Reading fictional books, also, has a deep and important impact in the moral fibre of our society which helps us to do what is right against the wrong doings. And as the reading habits of our citizens continue to increase, there is a definite trend, not just for the readers but also to other people, to buy and read fictional books that can provide them the benefits relating to the moral fibre of our society and the facts, news and crystalized knowledge that one can get in reading books.

10 Works Cited

Anderson, Sarah. How important is Reading Fiction? 14 September 2012 http://www.thebookchook.com/2012/09/how-important-is-reading-fictionguest.html Bergland, Christopher.Psychology Today. The Athletes Way. Sweat and the biology of bliss. 04 January.2014. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletesway/201401/reading-fiction-improves-brain-connectivity-and-function Collier, Lisa.Amazing Facts about Reading: How Books Benefit your Mind and Body. 22 November.2013. http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/amazing-factsabout-reading-how-books-benefit-your-mind-and-body Cortez, Marc. 6 Reasons You Should Waste Your Time Reading Fiction. 16 May 2011 http://marccortez.com/2011/05/16/6-reasons-you-should-waste-your-timereading-fiction/ Definitions of Categories and Genres. Writers Digest University. http://www.writers onlineworkshops.com/resources/definitions-of-fiction-categories-and-genres/ Ebdrup, Niels. The origin of fiction. 12 September 1012 http://sciencenordic.com/ origin-fiction Flood, Alison. Reading fiction improves empathy, study finds. 7 September 2011 http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/sep/07/reading-fiction-empathy-study Gottschall, Jonathan. Why Fiction is Good For You. 29 April 2010 https://www.Bosto nglobe.com/ideas/2012/04/28/why-fiction-good-for-you-how-fiction-changesyour-world/nubDy1P3viDj2PuwGwb3KO/story.html Gow, Kailin. How Fiction Impacts Fact: The Social Impact of Books. 12 July 2012 http://www.fastcompany.com/1842370/how-fiction-impacts-fact-social-impactbooks Heady, Kathleen. The Importance of Reading Fiction. 24 November 2012

11 http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/3326870-the-importance-ofreading-fiction Jacobs, Tom. Reading Fiction Impacts Aggressive Behavior. 07 September 2011 http://www.psmag.com/blogs/news-blog/reading-fiction-impacts-aggressivebehavior-35839/ Moosa, Tauriq. The moral importance of Fiction and Literature.10 December 2012 http://bigthink.com/against-the-new-taboo/the-moral-importance-of-fiction-andliterature Tackett, Justin. Stanford scholars debate the moral merits of reading fiction. February 21, 2014 http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/february/morals-ethics-literature022114.html Fiction. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online: Academic Edition. http://www.britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/206037/fiction