Last week, I submitted my essay that analyzed how the Copyright Act of 1710 and Age of Enlightenment gave authors extrinsic incentives to publish their works. Society ultimately benefits from the discourse that their literature inspires.

After watching this TEDxWhitehorse talk today, I realized that I undervalued the power of literature. In the essay, I touched on how authors could critique political and religious institutions or comment on the flaws in society. Literature, however, is more powerful than just critiques. Rather, we learn about ourselves by identifying with characters.

Judah Pollack, the speaker in the video, describes how he works with soldiers who return home from war. Oftentimes, they feel misunderstood. Ulysses in The Odyssey becomes a relatable character who helps them recover. Another classic, Candide, is still important to readers because “we still recognize ourselves in the mirror of [Voltaire’s] characters and their concerns, as if we would not be surprised to encounter Candide or Cunegonde on the streets of Manhattan today” (Wright).

I want to end with the following quote from Pollack’s presentation because I think it sums up everything well and is thought provoking.

“Pirates used to plunder gold and now they steal stories. Stories are actually more valuable than gold…Stories are the swords we use to slay our dragons. Narrative is the tool we use to understand ourselves and the world. If you don’t share your story with someone, you can never truly be seen. If you don’t share your scars with someone, you can never truly be known.”

Another video series where Pollack incorporates ideas about copyright and literature into everyday life. Video 1 Video 2 Video 3 I particularly like his analysis using Voltaire and Candide: “In many ways, Voltaire gave us the answer about how to mature out of childhood.”