Novels provide a sensuous experience that is enjoyed through the
senses. For example, we savor food through taste and mind, and similarly, we
appreciate music through trained ears. Without experience, there can be no
genuine enjoyment, and an unpleasant experience can ruin it. Novels often
portray personalities, life situations, and human emotions, which readers may
recognize from their own lives. Enjoyment of the novel can come from following
the plot, climax, and resolution, much like a spectator watching a sports event.
Readers may also enjoy the art of the novelist, how skillfully they create and
caricature their characters and critique societal norms.
On the other hand, education aims to draw forth an individual's best qualities
and train them to desirable levels. Proper education channels and develops one's
instincts, emotions, and sentiments, creating situations for growth and
improvement. In this sense, novels do not necessarily educate. While reading
novels can expand one's experiences, they cannot develop capabilities on their
own. Language abilities may improve through reading, but only when the novel is
approached as literature for study purposes. Otherwise, reading novels may make
one reflective through their experiences, rather than through education.
Despite this, a student of literature may study novels for educational purposes.
While people have been educated for centuries, novels are relatively new in the
literary world. Therefore, it is clear that novels are primarily intended for
readers' enjoyment, not for their education. |