Over the past few thousand years, literature has served two very important functions: to entertain and to convey information.

As we enter the 21st century, these two functions still exist, but we can find a better way. Games, movies, TV shows, etc. can bring us more direct and intense sensory stimulation, thus giving us greater pleasure. The Internet is far more efficient in transmitting information than traditional literature. So does this mean that literature has lost its value? I don’t think so.

Firstly, literature can improve our personal qualities. Reading a long work is a long process, you need patience and perseverance, also at some point to overcome their laziness. Even short works or poems can make you feel the beauty of different genres. In addition, no matter what type of work you read, you need a strong empathic ability to understand the feelings of the author or the main character, and when you gradually have this ability, you will be able to make more and more friends in your real life and gain their respect.

Literature also allows us to understand the world in a more systematic way. A news article, a message, a blog …… The delivery of information in these ways is extremely efficient, but if you only read these things every day, then in the long run your mind is likely to be a mess because they are fragmented and it’s hard for you to make connections between them (Some of the information is even contradictory to each other). But a work of literature, complete and continuous reflects a certain era, a person’s journey, a big event …… When you know enough, you can naturally draw a net in your head, and then you may have your own way of knowing the world.