On September 29 2013 04:02 Paraietta wrote:
I hate to break it to you but videogames aren't real either. Why are you even posting on a starcraft website.

i play videogames, I read books

not the other way around

And G

Germany491 Posts

September 28 2013 19:09 GMT

#22

I watched the TV series Rome, and while it is wildly inaccurate in terms of historical facts it has by far the most accurate portrayal of Roman societey and people's mentality at that times I've ever seen in any kind of book or movie. This is something that is rarely touched upon in history books, and if you want to learn anything about it you have to collect information from many different places. Surely there must be fiction books where the non-fiction aspects are portrayed accurately? Personally I don't read historical fiction at all, but that seems a good place to look.

RvB

Netherlands6322 Posts

September 28 2013 19:09 GMT

#23

I prefer non-fiction books myself but fiction can be a nice change of pace from all the educational stuff.

babylon

8765 Posts

September 28 2013 19:23 GMT

#24

People read nonfiction for different reasons just as they read fiction for different reasons. I read fiction, because it lets me glimpse another's most intimate thoughts, feelings, and experiences (whether the author's or the character's or both of them together, if you believe they can't be separated) in such a way that isn't elaborated upon in nonfiction due to the nature of the genre (primarily its concern with "reality").

Falling

Canada11607 Posts

September 28 2013 19:26 GMT

#25

You may have read LotR's, but I don't think you understood Tolkien if you are questioning the intrinsic value of fiction. A stronger defender of stories for their own sake that inspires humans you could not find.

On Faeries Stories and the Monster and the Critics are two good essays by Tolkien on the value of fantasy and fiction.

itsjustatank

Hong Kong9179 Posts

September 28 2013 19:45 GMT

#26

I highly disliked this thread until I saw a Lacan reference.

hp.Shell

United States2527 Posts

September 28 2013 19:48 GMT

#27

Here is but one example of Tolkien's wisdom. It is a great example of real value that can be found in fiction, and not just the pleasure that comes inside the imagination. Quotes like these make me think that I miss a lot of value in his writings, and I try to make a note of them when I spot them.

Then the Lady unbraided one of her long tresses, and cut off three golden hairs, and laid them in Gimli's hand. 'These words shall go with the gift,' she said. 'I do not foretell, for all foretelling is now vain: on the one hand lies darkness, and on the other only hope. But if hope should not fail, then I say to you, Gimli son of Glóin, that your hands shall flow with gold, and yet over you gold shall have no dominion.

Edit: Tell me what you think of it, Smurfett3, and whether you believe it has any value.

EJK

United States1302 Posts

September 28 2013 19:51 GMT

#28

On September 29 2013 04:48 hp.Shell wrote:
Here is but one example of Tolkien's wisdom. It is a great example of real value that can be found in fiction, and not just the pleasure that comes inside the imagination. Quotes like these make me think that I miss a lot of value in his writings, and I try to make a note of them when I spot them.

Then the Lady unbraided one of her long tresses, and cut off three golden hairs, and laid them in Gimli's hand. 'These words shall go with the gift,' she said. 'I do not foretell, for all foretelling is now vain: on the one hand lies darkness, and on the other only hope. But if hope should not fail, then I say to you, Gimli son of Glóin, that your hands shall flow with gold, and yet over you gold shall have no dominion.

On September 29 2013 04:26 Falling wrote:
You may have read LotR's, but I don't think you understood Tolkien if you are questioning the intrinsic value of fiction. A stronger defender of stories for their own sake that inspires humans you could not find.

On Faeries Stories and the Monster and the Critics are two good essays by Tolkien on the value of fantasy and fiction.

definitly gonna re-read some of tolkeins books

babylon

8765 Posts

September 28 2013 20:31 GMT

#29

Those two essays of his are amongst his most famous; they should be available online through a simple Google search.

231 Posts

September 28 2013 21:01 GMT

#30

On September 29 2013 01:43 Smurfett3 wrote:But now, I fail to grasp the intrinsic value of fiction books.

Maybe there isn't one. So what?

On September 29 2013 01:43 Smurfett3 wrote:So, why do you guys read fiction over non-fiction and what do you feel you get out of it that you might not get from reading the other category?

I usually enjoy reading fiction more than reading non-fiction. If I didn't, I'd read non-fiction instead.

tar

Germany991 Posts

September 28 2013 21:29 GMT

#31

no history book will ever give you insights into the inner conflicts of characters, their emotional struggels and all that.
apart from that, fiction can simply entertain you and make you a happier balanced human being

If all life was just about learning and working we'd just be bees or ants...

GeckoXp

Germany2016 Posts

September 28 2013 22:12 GMT

#32

I don't quite understand what you mean by non-fiction. The way your original OP was written it banned more than a few books that are more than just worth to 'read', even though they are 'fictional'. What you meant by non-fiction was obviously some sort of scientific (historical) view on several topics, yet you get a skewed impression out of them.

There's a wide range of 'classical' literature per country which tells you a lot of made-up stories. Take for example the German novel 'Effi Briest'. This novel is shit. It does not entertain at all if you're not some sort of 16 year old girl. Yet, it tells you a lot of how society and the class system worked, a lot more than you could read in the 'non-fiction' area. Same goes for almost all pieces of fiction, regardless which topic you'll look at. It might play in a distant future, or a fantasy world. It tells you a lot about the culture, the belief system, the hopes and so on and so forth. This is real context. Granted, there's a whole range of trash literature which only exists to switch off for a few hours. It's only normal that you find this kind of easy-written fictional stuff quite boring once you grew older. I remember reading a lot fantasy novels, which I know frown upon, because it's actually THAT bad. Some of Star Wars fiction included (not all, I love the franchise, but that's not the point). Then again, some of the fiction reflects more - take Frankenstein, Otherland, Roadside Picnic (? not sure about the translation), 1984 - all of them are arbitrary examples of great stuff with a lot of subtile messages or great ideas which inspired a lot of people.

I'll give you that a bunch of books might be entertaining, even though they count as non-fictional, I definitely remember some giant summary of how science itself evolved, another example might be Machiavelli. Anyhow, keep in mind that history changes. A lot more than you might think. Compare German historical texts from 1890, 1920, 1940, 1960 and today. Nevermind.