Fiction, regardless of how it is classified, can be a social experience of its own, since we are diving into a particular character's life for a brief period of time. While in the story, we have infiltrated the character's life, as we live it with them, going through their lives, experiencing their reactions. When we are done, regardless of what has happened, we will think about our own lives, in some way or another.

Tying this in with the Philip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, what would the novel be classified as? Clearly, it is a science-fiction genre piece, identifying it as more of a readerly work. On the flip side, it can be classified as more of a writerly work, since it is clear after reading it that you have to think about its context. So is the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep a piece of pulp fiction or literary fiction, and does that make it a readerly or writerly piece?

I understand that literary fiction is more writerly while pulp fiction is more readerly... But is it really that clean cut between the two? Is it possible for a work considered pulp fiction to have at least some qualities of a writerly work, or is the classification of fiction works a binary system?

Works of fiction can act like a "empathy simulator," similar to how a flight simulator works to improve the flying skills of pilots. One very interesting comparison.

This line ends the article on a very odd note. The article as a whole gives a very interesting perspective linking reading fiction and empathy, and ends with a personal suggestion for what the researchers should also work on in their studies.

The potential research subject isn't bad by any means; it actually presents an interesting question: how long does a work of long fiction's empathetic-boosting effects work? However, the author of the article has presented this idea in a very awkward way.

A study has linked reading fiction and empathy. It could very well be possible, as good literature can engulf the reader into the world of the story, and connect you to the characters on some level. The same thing happens (or should happen) in the real world.