With an Open Heart

For a range of reasons, including the pervasive presence of more products and platforms that compete for our attention, the percentage of adults in the United States who read literature (poetry, plays, short stories, novels) dropped from 54% in 2008 to 43% in 2015, according to data from the National Endowment for the Arts. This decline matters since, as studies show, literature heightens empathetic capacities in readers. More specifically, I think this matters because by reading less literature, Americans may be less inclined to care deeply about or act on behalf of animal welfare and the environment.

The logic is as follows: empathy (to feel what others are feeling) is a precursor for compassion (to work for the relief of others’ suffering), and in the words of Albert Einstein, compassion ought “to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.” Literature that focuses on the psychology of and relations among characters is the most impactful on empathy, and some books are even themed to Einstein’s notion of wide embrace. For example, climate fiction (“cli-fi”) imagines the implications of global warming; some authors probe how animals think; other authors even adopt the perspective of an animal.

If literature contributes to our compassion for living things, surely encounters with literature ought to be encouraged. Yet as David Denby points out in The New Yorker, making the case today for what he calls “serious reading” and the “beauty and moral complexity” it enables us to experience, “has become awkward, square-headed, and emotionally difficult.” With so many fine books available for children, young adults, and adults, how we can inspire more people read?