Empathy in literature

Empathy, as an interdisciplinary concept, usually studied within social and psychological context, plays an important role in consuming literature and fiction in particular. This concept is known as narrative empathy. Defined by Taylor et al. in 2002-2003, individuals experience narrative empathy when they are able to feel with (emotional empathy), take the perspectives of (cognitive empathy), or experience a simulation with the likeness thereof a character within that narrative. When looking at empathy in literature, there are two main concepts that can be looked at. Learning empathy through literature, or narrative empathy, is more thoroughly and academically studied than narratives of empathy, which are prevalent across various types of fiction.

Empathy and the brain

Empathy in literature

Narrative empathy is the effect of reading literature on the reader. Often, reading makes us more empathetic, but narrative empathy also studies which types of literature have a positive empathetic response and which types of individuals are more likely to be affected. To measure it, the following subscales are considered:

1. Fantasy: the individual’s ability to mentally move themselves out of the real world and into the fictional world,
2. Perspective Taking: someone’s inclination towards adopting other perspectives,
3. Empathic Concern: otherwise known as sympathy, or someone’s ability to feel for others in pain,
4. Personal Distress: feeling with others or sharing in their pain.

Mar et al., in a study of 94 participants, identified that the primary mode of literature that increases empathy is fiction, as opposed to non-fiction. Other studies verify these results and go on to specify that it’s active fiction in particular that engages with the reader and affects the reader’s empathy, at the very least in adults, rather than passive, entertainment fiction. This might be due to the parallels recognized between narrative and real-world comprehension as well as narrative fiction and real-world events. Empirical evidence, moreover, proved that fiction yielded a higher chance to get an individual involved in a narrative, while non-fiction did not.

Although there is no notable difference between empathy increase across different genders, literature has shown to offer young men the space to experience and express their empathy. Several studies looking at the subscales mentioned above, even, showed that the significant increase in empathy was in perspective taking, but those who had a higher perspective taking score to begin showed less increase. There was also an increase in concern for others. In fact, a person’s desire to increase their empathy has been shown to lead to a concrete increase in empathy and is subsequently associated with a shift in moral values as well.

Autism and empathy

The main literature on empathy looks at fiction, but other forms of literature are also important. For example, poetry is a more popular form to invoke empathy in neurodivergent readers, and it has the capacity to teach about high sensitivity when it comes to human difference.

Narratives of empathy

When defining narratives of empathy, it is important to look at a piece of literature and analyze it critically. By looking at the characters and character interactions, the reader is able to evaluate the presence of empathy and where it’s directed. Representation of marginalized groups and whether the injustice they experience is fought for and empathized with is important for the reflection of the reader, especially in fiction geared towards youth and children. Literary works with metaphors or allegories towards minorities and oppressed groups can be studied using the critical race theory, the Marxist theory, or even the psychoanalytical theory. The following are some of many examples across mainstream literature or media that focus on or include narratives of empathy.

Representation of marginalized groups

Harry Potter

As mentioned earlier, there are parallels identified between fiction and real life.(citation 5) This includes the representation of marginalized groups.

For example, Harry Potter, a book series written by J.K. Rowling, takes place in a fantasy world with make believe races. When looking at the obvious representations of race, readers make note of the characters’ blood purity and its significance, in hierarchical order: purebloods, half-bloods, muggleborns, squibs, half-breeds, and muggles. Other races include goblins and house elves too. The main conflict across the seven books arises from Voldemort, the primary antagonist, who has a eugenic ideology and believes in pureblood superiority. Discrimination against muggleborns is observed throughout the novels, from bullying to persecution, torture, and genocide. Consequently, studies show that identification with the main character, Harry Potter, who fights against this elitism and to protect the marginalized communities, and disidentification with Voldemort was correlated with higher degrees of empathy.

Further literature identifies parallelism between Voldemort and pureblood supremacy with Hitler and Nazism. Moreover, embedded within the novel are other biases and prejudices that can and have been further analyzed, such as the treatment of non-human species like werewolves, house-elves, half-giants, the “Dark Mark,” and the various fictional slurs).

Despite all of these injustices, characters still experience empathy for one another, stand up to fight for each other, and are willing to get hurt to protect others. In particular, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Neville Longbottom stood up against the tyranny of the Death Eaters at Hogwarts, even at the cost of enduring torture curses, to protect oher students and keep them from harm. The main protagonist, Harry himself, accepts his death in that same book to end the war and the suffering. There is an abundance of examples from minor and major characters of empathizing and feeling with one another; in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Ron Weasley, 13, stands up for his friend Hermione Granger after she is called a fictional racial slur.

Mutants in Marvel

The Marvel universe is a rich and diverse one, and when it comes to the history of the X-Men and mutants, it's no different. With over 60 storylines, the mutant community grows and develops across them, with the focus on different teams. Mutants are born with an X-Gene that gives them a unique power, and they can appear human or have a physical mutation as well. Through many different interpretations, the X-Men can be seen as a metaphor for any number of marginalized group with non-mutants being the oppressive majority. Stan Lee who created the first team, was inspired by real life civil rights activists, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. For example, Professor X is said to have a dream of "[bringing] mankind and its mutant children together in peace and harmony," in Classic X-Men 23. Over the series, the X-Men endure prejudice, bigotry, and are victims of anti-mutant discrimination. Their stories revolve around fighting against the racism and oppression they are born into, which is something "anybody can empathize with," according to Jacobs and Jones 251. In such narratives, empathy and learning empathy plays a significant role within the marginalized community itself.

For example, in the Iceman (2018-2019) run, Iceman is seen empathizing with and aiding the Morlocks, a group of mutants identified by extreme physical mutations. Within the mutant community, there is "mutantphobia"; those with visible and "grotesque" ones are even more oppressed and prejudiced against, forced to live in the tunnels under New York. In that comic run, the Morlocks are being hunted and Iceman is working to prevent another (as there have been many already) mutant massacre. The mutants are criticized for valuing their sameness over their diversity but this storyline emphasizes the opposite. When, in issue #1, one of the mutants fighting the morlocks says, "the only way we will effectively bridge the gap between humans and mutants is by being--and looking--more alike," Iceman is quick to counter and disagree. This issue as a whole shows Iceman learning to empower the morlocks to fight their own fight instead of fighting it for them.

An example of empathy from a non-mutant to the mutant cause can be seen in X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, where a cop at an anti-mutant rally shoots Stryker, a recurring enemy of the X-Men, when he was about to kill Shadowcat. The attempted murder is especially problematic as Shadowcat is known for her anti-prejudice rhetoric. In Uncanny X-Men, she gives several speeches, and a comic panel has been popularized and considered iconic within the X-Men fandom, when she calls Professor X a jerk, given that he has made several questionable, problematic, manipulative and exploitative decisions across the series.

Wonder Woman's empathy

When talking about Wonder Woman, it is impossible to separate the superheroine from empathy. Fans of both, the comics and the movies have been inspired by her and defined her by her empathy. The director of the Wonder Woman movie, Patty Jenkins, claims that " to be strong enough to love in the face of darkness is the thing that sets Wonder Woman apart." She is an incredibly compassionate, empathetic, and loving character who, despite her status as a princess, champion, demigoddess, once-goddess, and the founder of the Justice League, has remained level-headed and a hero to the people. She dedicates time to spend with her victims as well as her villains, making attempts to offer them chances at redemption.

For example, Baroness Von Gunther, an early villain who was forced into using her mind control powers to create Nazi spies out of unassuming American girls is reformed by Wonder Woman and offered a second chance (before she was reimagined as Dark Angel). Another villain Wonder Woman tried to help is Veronica Cale, whose daughter's soul in the 2016 series was stolen by the fear deities as an incentive for her to bring down Wonder Woman. She subsequently fights Circe, both deities Pheibos and Domos, as well as finds the way to Ares' prison in order to ensure the safety of Cale's daughter, who ends up on the Amazon island Themyscira. In one of the alternative universes, it is discovered that Circe, a figure prominent in Greek mythology, does not have a soul. Even after she almost causes the death of Wonder Woman and her teammates, friends, and others, Wonder Woman saves her from falling into Pandora's Pits and promises to help her.

The same compassion and thoughtfulness is shown to victims. In Agent of Peace, Wonder Woman waits in the hospital lobby for news on the people she rescued from natural disasters in Ethiopia. Similarly, in the 2016 Wonder Woman run, after she stops a bank robbery, Wonder Woman accompanies an injured girl to the hospital and spends significant time with her over the next few months, becoming friends. This girl, Vanessa Kapatelis, coincidentally ends up becoming and turning into Silver Swan, who is then reformed.

Even when all hope is lost, such as in Dark Nights: Death Metal, when Batman says that they cannot afford to save everyone and win against the looming villains, Wonder Woman holds his arm and says, "we will save everyone, starting with you." Although warrior-born, Wonder Woman believes in peace and acted as a conduit for it, only fighting when other means have been exhausted. She does what is righteous, such as killing the Batman Who Laughs in Death Metal, even though it would have doomed the world. This bold act of truth and righteousness is what prompts The Hands to learn from her compassion and empathy, and save the world instead. Her stories are rich in love, compassion, truth and understanding, because that is at the core of her character.

Bibliography

1. Psychology and Narrative
2. Connecting the dots between fantasy and reality: The social psychology of our engagement with fictional narrative and its functional value
3. Teach Empathy with Literature
4. Learning Empathy through Literature
5. Empathy, Humanism, and Mindfulness in Multicultural Counseling and Social Justice Work
6. A Theory of Narrative Empathy
7. Narrative Empathy
8. Literary Character
9. Representing Differences: the Portrayal of Disabilities in Children's Literature
10. Textual and reader factors in narrative empathy: An empirical reader response study using focus groups
11. Reading Books and Reading Minds: Differential Effects of Wonder and The Crossover on Empathy and Theory of Mind