@Jennifer: Definitely something to being told a story. Nothing wrong with that, we just have to remember that that’s not all that’s going on.

@Wickle: The way you say that makes me feel very popular. Regardless, I’m thankful for each of my comments, whether I have 2 or 200 (okay, that’s a dream)!

@Barry: Agreed. Personally, I’m trying to figure out which style fits me better. Probably will do both.

Can fiction be just fiction? Yes, but if it’s any good, then it means something. So, the real answer is, “Yes, if it’s bad fiction or you don’t understand it.”

Everything that’s really worth reading has a message to it and should affect us in one way or another.

But we do have to be careful – the imagination is powerful. Sometimes we can be subjected to things and have curiosities or thoughts planted in our mind that we didn’t bargain for.

This isn’t to say that fiction (and other forms of “entertainment”) shouldn’t be enjoyable; only that if we delude ourselves into thinking that what we enjoy has absolutely no effect upon how we view the world, we will find ourselves espousing views that we never knew we had.

Stories and other works of fiction are awesome – and I wish I could somehow emphasize it more. But when we approach any new work, I believe that we should filter it in light of our worldview, rather than amalgamating the author’s worldview with our own.

@Cara: I bet they do, though that might not have been the intent of the author. See Lillie’s comment.

@Lillie: Couldn’t say it better!

@Francesca: I wouldn’t say blogs are fiction (unless they say they are), but they do express our worldview.

@Jennifer: I’m glad someone noticed! I think that might make fiction (and movies and TV) all the more dangerous as you don’t know that you’re being fed something you might not otherwise consume.

@Lady Fi: I think that all fiction affects on some level, even if it’s a forgetable book. It might be kinda like a little dust…not noticable in small quantities, but you do notice the cummulative affect.

@G. Zoe: Yes! Thanks so much for commenting…now I don’t have to keep your wonderful comments to myself!

@WhatACard: I always find it interesting when I like an author with a different worldview than I (and I know it). Ayn Rand? She’s a genius when it comes to fiction and blending her worldview. But the problem is, it wouldn’t work in real-life like it does in her fictional world.

@Julie: Seems like this could be a very lively debate if we all sat down in a room and discussed this!

@Irish: Ditto what I told Julie…and of course I agree!

@LiLu: So true!

@Iva: Well said. And I’m curious about your book!

@Elizabeth: I look forward to reading your feelings on feelings!

@Hillbilly: Unforunately, that’s not my picture. I would totally love those book shelves, though. I think that we can express our worldview without even realizing it.

@Kim: I would say very few (in fact, I haven’t found an instance)!

Books. I love them. The picture you have posted along with your post, the shelves, I have similar looking shelves. Books of all kinds. I don’t stick to one kind, I read many for the value of the printed word. Some can be romantic, others horrifying, some personal empowerment…

As for can fiction be just fiction, oh heck I think so. As an aspiring writer myself, I make up crap all the time. Fiction is after all works from the imagination…But I think that sometimes, to be a good writer, we use experiences from real life inside the fiction. Thoughts, ego’s, emotions…

Sorry I babbled… :)