Value of Reading a Novel

I agree with Jane Austen that novels can be good as long as you don't get too lost in the idea. You have to keep in mind when reading a novel that it isn't real life even though it might deal with real life situations. I think that novels are a way for people speak out and state their opinions. If we didn't hear other people's opinions we might not have fully explored our opinion of a certain topic. I have learned a lot in class from just reading these novels, about what happened in society at that particular time period or what political ideas were being thrown about. I'm not sure that a novel today would change our society just because I feel like no one reads anymore but word of mouth could elevate that novels ideas. When I read novels I see if the moral of the story applies to me and see how I feel about it. When I read the series "Left Behind" I started to think about if I had been living my life right. Even though I am a Christian, did I really follow God's ways? This novel also scared me still to this day about the end of Earth as we know it. Sometimes I let my imagination get the best of me and think oh no, this is the end but have to reign myself back to not think about it. I think that you can learn a lot from a novel and it can teach us a great deal about society whether it be slavery, political ideas, manners, morals, or simply ideas.