do you?

[yvelines]

do you believe that literature actually changes the outlook of the reader on the world?

[The Comedian]

Yep. Of course, I can only speak for myself. But I'm greatly influenced by the things I read.

[Helga]

yes it definitely does influence everything around you and how things affect you and your understanding of those things.

[Eliza Bennet]

Yes. I believe that reading does change your outlook on things. Maybe even life itself. Reading puts you in a character's shoes and it may give you a new perspective.

[LitNetIsGreat]

I think this goes close to my "Can Literature Civilize" thread in a way, but to answer your specific question I think it depends upon the reader and what is read. For me certainly, literature, (wisely or unwisely) has been something which has gone from hobby to mild obsession to job/career and beyond. It has also helped to shape my actual philosophy on life and is fundamental to the way I think, feel and spend a lot of my time – but I feel that such investment is more than worth it (though hardly much financially). However, can it do this for all, can everyone who engages with literature feel this way or is it something that lies sort of dormant within certain individuals waiting for the right books or influences to come along? I don't know?

[myrna22]

do you believe that literature actually changes the outlook of the reader on the world?

Yes, of course. Well read people have a much broader perspective on life. Literature is about the human condition, and the more literature you read, especially if you read a wide range of literature from various time periods, cultures, genders, and so on, you get a much broader vision of life.

[Veva]

I believe that it was Oscar Wilde who said that : "It is not the life, but the spectator himself, that the art mirrors." ... if it can do so, it can also change him for life.... :p

[mal4mac]

Yes, but it may not be for the better:

"Hitler mainly studied textbooks and philosophical works. Works of fiction interested him less, although he did read classics such as Dante’s Divine Comedy, Goethe’s Faust, and William Tell."

"Hitler mentioned having the works of Homer and Arthur Schopenhauer with him during the First World War."

http://www.younghitler.com/hitler_books.htm