Why We Read Literature

As an English teacher, I'm often asked why we study literature. Beowulf, Hamlet, The Great Gatsby--why read these works? The short answer is literature helps us understand human behavior, and maybe a bit about life. All the big ideas are there--love, grief, jealousy, ambition, betrayal, compassion, justice--and we read to get some insight on why things are the way they are. Literature keeps everything at a safe distance, a place for us to explore without getting hurt. And literature isn't the only place--films do much the same thing, and in less time.