I would say, for the moment, that community, at least…
““I would say, for the moment, that community, at least community larger than the immediate family, consists very largely of imaginative love for people we do not know or whom we know very slightly. This thesis may be influenced by the fact that I have spent literal years of my life lovingly absorbed in the thoughts and perceptions of—who knows it better than I?—people who do not exist. And, just as writers are engrossed in the making of them, readers are profoundly moved and also influenced by the nonexistent, that great clan whose numbers increase prodigiously with every publishing season. I think fiction may be, whatever else, an exercise in the capacity for imaginative love, or sympathy, or identification.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Fiction expands our empathy by letting us love and understand strangers, even imagined ones, fostering a broader sense of community beyond family.
In simple terms: Stories help us love people we don’t know.
Key Takeaway
Read more fiction to grow empathy.
Themes
empathy
community
imagination
literature
Mood
reflective
thoughtful
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- reading novels
- writing fiction
- teaching literature
- community building
Key Concepts
sympathy
identification
creative imagination
Questions to Reflect On
- How does reading a novel change your view of strangers?
- Can imagined love become real compassion?
A Different Perspective
Fiction may not translate to real‑world action for all readers.