Reply #103: You beat me to it.

[Brigid]

What you take in through your senses influences you, fiction or not. Fiction is designed to evoke emotions. If not, then what's the point? A few more examples: There was a certain little movie that came out in the early '70's called "The Exorcist." I still have yet to see the whole thing, but there were many stories of people leaving the theater half out of their minds the terror, or even vomiting in the lobby. I have heard of similar reactions to "The Passion of the Christ." Then there was the time I saw "Saving Private Ryan." I still remember going into the restroom on my way out of the theater and seeing a woman in there crying her eyes out. I was feeling a little blue myself. Fiction works on the emotions, and that can't be done except through the brain.