Student Worksheet

Fictional Friends - Activity Instructions

Students will...

You will learn to use images to portray the meanings of words
You will learn to summarise through the use of guiding questions
You will learn to use a character from a text in your own writing
You will learn how to socialise through the use of texts.

Students can...

You can transform a definition into images
You can answer questions to create a summary
You can use textual details to transfer a fictional character into your writing
You can work with others to discuss and enjoy texts.

READ THE CONVERSATION ARTICLE BELOW

Missing your friends? Rereading Harry Potter might be the next best thing

Elaine Reese, University of Otago

Humans are innately social creatures. But as we stay home to limit the spread of COVID-19, video calls only go so far to satisfy our need for connection.

The good news is the relationships we have with fictional characters from books, TV shows, movies, and video games – called parasocial relationships – serve many of the same functions as our friendships with real people, without the infection risks.

Read more: Say what? How to improve virtual catch-ups, book groups and wine nights

Time spent in fictional worlds

Some of us already spend vast swathes of time with our heads in fictional worlds.

Psychologist and novelist Jennifer Lynn Barnes estimated that across the globe, people have collectively spent 235,000 years engaging with Harry Potter books and movies alone. And that was a conservative estimate, based on a reading speed of three hours per book and no rereading of books or rewatching of movies.

This human predilection for becoming attached to fictional characters is lifelong, or at least from the time toddlers begin to engage in pretend play. About half of all children create an imaginary friend (think comic strip Calvin’s tiger pal Hobbes).

Preschool children often form attachments to media characters and believe these parasocial friendships are reciprocal — asserting that the character (even an animated one) can hear what they say and know what they feel.

Younger children form easy relationships with fictional heroes. Photo by Josh Applegate/Unsplash, CC BY

Older children and adults, of course, know that book and TV characters do not actually exist. But our knowledge of that reality doesn’t stop us from feeling these relationships are real, or that they could be reciprocal.

When we finish a beloved book or television series and continue to think about what the characters will do next, or what they could have done differently, we are having a parasocial interaction. Often, we entertain these thoughts and feelings to cope with the sadness — even grief — that we feel at the end of a book or series.

The still lively Game of Thrones discussion threads or social media reaction to the death of Patrick on Offspring a few years back show many people experience this.

Some people sustain these relationships by writing new adventures in the form of fan fiction for their favourite characters after a popular series has ended. Not surprisingly, Harry Potter is one of the most popular fanfic topics. And steamy blockbuster Fifty Shades of Grey began as fan fiction for the Twilight series.

As good as the real thing?

So, imaginary friendships are common even among adults. But are they good for us? Or are they a sign we’re losing our grip on reality?

The evidence so far shows these imaginary friendships are a sign of well-being, not dysfunction, and that they can be good for us in many of the same ways that real friendships are good for us. Young children with imaginary friends show more creativity in their storytelling, and higher levels of empathy compared to children without imaginary friends. Older children who create whole imaginary worlds (called paracosms) are more creative in dealing with social situations, and may be better problem-solvers when faced with a stressful event.

As adults, we can turn to parasocial relationships with fictional characters to feel less lonely and boost our mood when we’re feeling low.

As a bonus, reading fiction, watching high-quality television shows, and playing pro-social video games have all been shown to boost empathy and may decrease prejudice.

Collectively, humans have spent more than an estimated 200,000 years in the world of Harry Potter. And that’s not counting rereading or rewatching. Chekyravaa/Shutterstock

Get by with a little help

We need our fictional friends more than ever right now as we endure weeks in isolation. When we do venture outside for a walk or to go the supermarket and someone avoids us, it feels like social rejection, even though we know physical distancing is recommended. Engaging with familiar TV or book characters is one way to rejuvenate our sense of connection.

Plus, parasocial relationships are enjoyable and, as American literature professor Patricia Meyer Spacks noted in On Rereading, revisiting fictional friends might tell us more about ourselves than the book.

So cuddle up on the couch in your comfiest clothes and devote some time to your fictional friendships. Reread an old favourite – even one from your childhood. Revisiting a familiar fictional world creates a sense of nostalgia, which is another way to feel less lonely and bored.

Read more: Couch culture - six months' worth of expert picks for what to watch, read and listen to in isolation

Take turns reading the Harry Potter series aloud with your family or housemates, or watch a TV series together and bond over which characters you love the most. (I recommend Gilmore Girls for all mothers marooned with teenage daughters.)

Fostering fictional friendships together can strengthen real-life relationships. So as we stay home and save lives, we can be cementing the familial and parasocial relationships that will shape us – and our children – for life.

Elaine Reese, Professor of Psychology, University of Otago

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Part A: Find The Answers

Step 1.

Write a list of your five favourite characters from movies, books or TV shows.

Step 2.

Pick one. Write or draw an explanation of why they are your favourite character.

Step 3.

Answer the following questions, based on the article:

• What negative effects of coronavirus on social and emotional health are listed?

• How are relationships with fictional or imaginary characters different for young children and adults?

• Has reading ever made you feel less lonely or bored? Explain why or why not.

• What benefits of ‘parasocial’ relationships are described?

• What ways of engaging ‘socially’ with characters are described?

Step 4.

The author uses lots of specialised vocabulary, including words such as: predilection, parasocial, paracosm, empathy, dysfunction, reciprocal, prejudice, rejuvenate and nostalgia. Look up the definitions of three of these words.

Step 5.

On a different piece of paper, draw a picture that shows what each of the three words means. You may want to label it. Try to include a fictional character in one or all of your drawings.

Part B: Putting It All Together

Step 1.

Which characters from novels or movies would you like to be friends with? Are they different from your favourite characters? Why/why not?

Step 2.

Imagine that you are quarantined with a literary character of your choice. Use the questions below to imagine what it might be like:

• What does the character enjoy doing? Could they do anything like that in quarantine?

• How does the character react to hardship? How do you think they’d respond to the limitations of quarantine?

• How are your personalities similar and different? What would you fight about?

• What special skills does the character have? Could they teach you anything or help you in anyway?

Step 3.

Start writing your story (or you might want to write it as a diary entry). What adventures with your favourite character can you imagine?

.

Start A Conversation

Step 1.

Share your story! You can share ‘fan fiction’ with friends or family, or even on special fan fiction publishing sites. Ask them:

What was your favourite part of the story?
What do you think I should have included, that I didn’t?
How could I make the story more exciting?

Step 2.

Chat to a friend, or create a survey! Use the questions below as a guide:

Which fictional character would they like to be quarantined with and why?
Which fictional character would they NOT like to be quarantined with and why?

Note: If you create a survey, why not share the results with your friends? You can talk about surprising patterns, or favourite fictional friends.

Taking It Further

Step 1.

Create a book or movie club with some family members, classmates or friends! All you need is two or more people (including you) and an agreement about which book or movie to watch next.

Step 2.

Decide how the club will run. You might want to discuss the following:

Do we want to discuss set questions, or do we just want to talk about the book/movie casually?
How often should we meet?
How will we catch up during this time? Zoom, FaceTime or another means?
What will we do if we can’t finish the book or movie in time?

Step 3.

Let other people know! Once you have your club sorted, other people might be interested to join.

Fictional Friends

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