The Reader, Eglon van der Neer
The common sentiment among writers and readers is that stories are good for us, and many would say that we need stories. Tim Parks explores this idea for the New York Review of Books blog. Why do we claim that stories benefit us, or fulfill a need? Is it because they allow us to find ourselves in an increasingly complex and confusing world? Do any these supposed benefits truly have merit? Parks approaches these questions by ruminating on the concept of the self and by looking at the psychology that propels the novelist. He writes,
“What the novel offers, however, is a tale mediated by the individual writer who (alone, away from Facebook and Twitter) works hard to shape it and deliver it in a way that he or she feels is especially attractive, compelling, and right.”
