Two ways that a reader is given comfort are through friendship and encouragement. Inside literature, both fiction and nonfiction, there is a “parallel universe in which anything might happen and frequently did, a universe in which I might be a newcomer but was never really a stranger” (Quindlen, 424). It is in this way that someone can connect to any character in a novel and essentially become friends. A reader can learn from a character’s mistakes and empathize with their losses. Comfort can be found in knowing those characters are always waiting for another adventure with the audience and another lesson to teach. Encouragement can also be received from a novel being read. “What could be more encouraging to the struggling writer than to realize his/her work is unquestionably better than that of someone who actually got paid for his/her stuff?” (King, 146). Many authors are oblivious to how horrid their stories sound, but those novels can actually benefit aspiring writers. This knowledge can fuel a reader’s self-esteem and assist them in writing their own stories or reading more difficult novels. Whether through connections with characters or a self-esteem boost, reading gives …show more content…
This skill can be granted to any reader as long as they read as many books as they can. “Quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones” (King, 145), and those horribly written novels teach readers what not to do when writing in the future. It also assists the reader in recognizing those mistakes in novels they will read afterward. Various literature can also teach a reader the difference between right and wrong. Anna Quindlen commented on this in her novel, How Reading Changed My Life, on page 424.
Regarding this subject, Stephen King also wrote, “Reading… offers you a constantly growing knowledge of what has been done and what hasn’t” (King, 150).
“I learned the difference between good and evil, right and wrong” (Quindlen,