Literature and Emotional Intelligence

•How can literature develop empathy and emotional intelligence?

    Literature has greater enduring effects of frequently it on us as human beings, other than the sole purpose of entertainment. Literature has an integral component of what makes us mindful and empathetic individuals. For that reason, some curriculums are shifting towards less literature and more language and non-fiction studies and stories.

 This is best exemplified in George R.R. Martin’s quote: “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, a man (or woman😡) who never reads lives only one.” This statement signifies the true essence of the two works in comparison in today’s blog post. Through the explicit analysis of David Foster's “This is water”, as readers, we are able to draw connections between the central focus of his commencement speech and other literature works such as Munro's. 

     In his essay, "This is Water" David Foster Wallace suggests that true freedom acquired through education is the ability to be adjusted, conscious, and sympathetic. These traits as for him, are very crucial to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. He suggests that one’s EQ, almost dominates their IQ in terms of importance in everyday life. “Emotional intelligence (EI or EQ) refers to the ability to recognize and regulate emotions in ourselves and others through four key elements: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness (or empathy), and relationship management. The goal is to become enlightened enough to recognize and regulate these areas. By doing so, we maximize our personal state of being, which in turn improves our interactions and relationships. The feedback loop guarantees benefits, many times over, back into our ways of being.” - https://www.inc.com/raman-chadha/emotional-intelligence-critical-for-leaders-to-make-impact.html

     He develops his thesis by accentuating the essence of human nature which is to adapt a retrospective view, ultimately allowing individuals to reflect on past events annd learn to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically where their “default setting” of self centeredness has dominated them. This propounds emotional intelligence that is “key to both personal and professional success.” We see the significance of these ideas in terms of what he considers to be the real freedom that coincides with education. It exposes the readers to subjects such as: 

1- The difficulty of empathy.

2-The importance of being well adjusted.

3-The essential lonesomeness of adult life. 

4- The alternate realities which we are unconscious of. 

•In what ways could Wallace’s theory about education be applicable to the writing of Alice Munro? Justify your conclusion.

        David’s theory extends or relates to Munro’s fiction in a multitude of ways. Both writers get to the core of human relationships and the underlying complexities by providing the reader with an opportunity to be cognizant of seemingly trivial events that later have a profound impact on their present lives.

           Munro’s stories capture the human experience as she portrays her characters using realistic non-fiction that a reader can easily relate to where she metamorphoses fiction into realism by using her stories as a medium to reflect on her own personal life and use it some sort of therapy or catharsis. Munro does this in a way where a relationship between memory and reality is another recurring theme she used to create tension in her stories. Similarly, David reflects on real experiences by immersing his audience in an anecdote that highly integrates current events that reveal overlooked aspects of the past and urges them to not dismiss the current complexities of life and re-evaluate even the most seemingly trivial details of their experiences. Both writers have asserted or scrutinized the latent intricacies embedded in these experiences that elevate the plot (in Munro’s case) or the essence of their life experiences (in Foster’s case). This is a concept that is propagated in both works. Both writers' crafty use of time and its tendency to move forward and backward enables them to cunningly explore the complexities of human relationships and unravels them in an uncomplicated prose style by focusing on the protagonist’s (in Munro’s case) moral and psychological development and in David’s case, the individual's.

     Another element the two authors share is allowing the reader to see a projection of other individuals’ experiences in parallel settings to broaden one’s scope of the world around them. These ideas being perpetuated in both writings again relate back to self-conciseness and empathy by creating that sense of shared humanity which allows readers to actively engage with and respond to these writings. Munro exposes the reader to a plethora of her character’s epiphanies, allowing us to truly validate their emotions and casualties which admit us to a more intimate knowledge of the character’s persona. By doing so, the reader will subconsciously apply a different lens when viewing her character's experiences; a lens that validates the frustrating occurrences in life as viable and legitimate.

The reader is also exposed to unique aspects of experiences that they may not be familiar with through their effective use of rhetoric. This transcends any unique or disconnecting features that may create a barrier between the author and the reader.  In Munro’s case, her strong regional focus often provided the backdrops to her stories although many, if not most of her readers may not be familiar with it, she uses detailed and precise imagery to transgress this element and truly immerse us in her stories by creating vivid images of the setting in the reader's head, ultimately them with a holistic view and understanding of how it may play a role in elevating the plot of the story.  

         Both writers expose their readers to the multilayered facets of human relationships using examples that are very relevant. Although both writer’s styles assert themes that are commonplace, the ideas being communicated are delivered with detailed and precise imagery and narrative style which is at once lyrical, compelling and intense, making both their narratives so exquisitely drawn. Both writers’ few short pages of writing accommodate the epic complexity of novels and deliver their literary depth. This makes the two works just another testament to the fact that literature does indeed provide elevated and celestial heights of emotional intellect and agency.