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What novels have had a substantial real-world effect?

214 replies

MsAmerica · 15/01/2026 23:40

What novels have had such a powerful impact that they triggered an actual change in socio-political policies or overall public opinion on an important subject?

I can only think of two, offhand:
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe
The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair Any others?

As far as I know, books like Grapes of Wrath may have had enthusiasts, but by the time it came out, it was too late for any relevant policy. And I know that Dickens may have influenced public policy, but I don’t think it was due to a particular novel.

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MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 22:35

SharonEllis · 24/01/2026 22:33

I think opening the world of publishing to black writets who had been excluded, giving confidence to black writers who were told noone wanted to hear from them, developing understanding that black writers could be as sophisticated and intelligent as white writers, and by extension that black Africans were intelligent and capable enough to govern themselves is an impact of an entirely different order to that of a highly priveleged white Oxford don helping to develop a taste for fantasy.

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Maybe, but I don't think that relates to the original question here.

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SharonEllis · 24/01/2026 22:33

MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 22:12

Yes, and maybe so many people wouldn't be reading fantasy if it weren't for Tolkien. But that's not the point of this thread.

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I think opening the world of publishing to black writets who had been excluded, giving confidence to black writers who were told noone wanted to hear from them, developing understanding that black writers could be as sophisticated and intelligent as white writers, and by extension that black Africans were intelligent and capable enough to govern themselves is an impact of an entirely different order to that of a highly priveleged white Oxford don helping to develop a taste for fantasy.

PatChaunceysFruitCake · 24/01/2026 22:18

Goodness, the references to ‘Things Fall Apart’ take me back. I did it for A-Level in the 90’s.

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MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 22:12

FruAashild · 24/01/2026 21:57

I don't think we in the west would be reading as much black African literature if it wasn't for the impact of Things Fall Apart. So many black writers reference it as transformative.

Yes, and maybe so many people wouldn't be reading fantasy if it weren't for Tolkien. But that's not the point of this thread.

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SharonEllis · 24/01/2026 22:02

FruAashild · 24/01/2026 21:57

I don't think we in the west would be reading as much black African literature if it wasn't for the impact of Things Fall Apart. So many black writers reference it as transformative.

And certainly not at that point. Its impact on publishing and writing was huge.

FruAashild · 24/01/2026 21:57

I don't think we in the west would be reading as much black African literature if it wasn't for the impact of Things Fall Apart. So many black writers reference it as transformative.

SharonEllis · 24/01/2026 21:36

MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 21:28

You're missing the point. I just randomly chose Scandinavia at because the author occurred to me, and I don't think colonization has anything to do with it. Much of the world was colonized at some point in time.

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Its obviously got everything to do with the real world impact of Things Fall Apart though.

Original poster
MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 21:28

SharonEllis · 24/01/2026 21:09

Scandinavia was not colonised by the UK so reading a scandibavian author would not have a real life impact other than general insight into a different culture. Colonisation was justified partly by the dehumanisation in various ways of African people.

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You're missing the point. I just randomly chose Scandinavia at because the author occurred to me, and I don't think colonization has anything to do with it. Much of the world was colonized at some point in time.

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SharonEllis · 24/01/2026 21:09

MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 20:51

But did it have any direct real-world result? I get your point, but I'm not sure it's that different from the possibility that for many people, reading Stieg Larsson was the first time they'd read a book by a Scandinavian author.

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Scandinavia was not colonised by the UK so reading a scandibavian author would not have a real life impact other than general insight into a different culture. Colonisation was justified partly by the dehumanisation in various ways of African people.

Barleybumpsadaisy · 24/01/2026 21:01

HollyGolightly4 · 16/01/2026 20:46

I think I'd want to include The Handmaid's tale because of the impact on protest, the fact it's such a widely referred to book in the realm of women's rights (or lack thereof)

I came on to say I wish The Handmaid’s Tale had changed things for women but sadly I don’t think it has.

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MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 20:54

Enrichetta · 16/01/2026 09:18

Exodus by Leon Uris. Emotionally manipulative and historically inaccurate. It must have induced millions to fall for Zionist agendas.

The question is, do you have any concrete evidence that it resulted in concrete real-world action? I doubt it.

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MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 20:53

TiredAndUseless1493 · 16/01/2026 09:26

Maybe a bit more frivolous, but I recall reading that A Christmas Carol by Dickens has been credited with the creation of the idea of a white Christmas.

It hardly ever snows on Christmas Day, but Dickens’ childhood coincided with a ‘little ice age’ when it snowed at Christmas for several consecutive years, and because of the influence of his work, his experience of white christmases became the cultural image of a traditional Christmas.

I think he's credited not with the idea of a white Christmas, but more with the idea of Christmas as a major celebratory jolly holiday.

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MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 20:52

Benvenuto · 16/01/2026 09:21

An old one, but Émile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau was very influential in education.

Good one!

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MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 20:51

SharonEllis · 16/01/2026 09:15

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe was published in 1958 just before the major wave on independence for African nations. It was very widely read and had a massive impact on understanding as it was the first novel by an African (Nigerian) read by many people outside Africa.

But did it have any direct real-world result? I get your point, but I'm not sure it's that different from the possibility that for many people, reading Stieg Larsson was the first time they'd read a book by a Scandinavian author.

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MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 20:49

Imdunfer · 16/01/2026 09:16

I think Roots, though it turned out to be fiction not biography, opened a lot of white people's eyes to the depth of evil of the slave trade, which probably eventually worked through into huge support for the BLM movement.

Edited

I think I'd disagree that it had caused any direct result, but I think that the resultant television show was likely the first time that many white people watched an major story about black people.

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MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 20:46

PixellatedPixie · 16/01/2026 09:12

I think some books neatly distill social ideas and so make it easier for people to see the cautionary tale within them. They also create a shared experience and ideas that can be more easily referred to which I think have made some political arguments more persuasive to more people. Many of the Orwellian books and other dystopian ones are really influential in this way.

They say that Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand has had a huge influence on many MAGA aligned libertarians over the years.

Your comment reminds me that I often post political articles in American forums, and sometimes get the impatient reply: "Old news! We know that already!" I keep explaining that sometimes I post it because the writing is so wonderful, or the overview is so concise.
Still, I'm thinking of things that had a direct impact, not something that gradually changed opinion. I haven't (yet) read Atlas Shrugged, but I agree that I've heard people cite it as enlightening for them.
And thanks for mentioning your appreciation of this thread. I thought the forum might enjoy it, since so many of the threads are just "What shall I read?"

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MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 20:42

Tiredofwhataboutery · 16/01/2026 09:09

Obviously U.S. based but to kill a mockingbird bird by Harper Lee ( and the movie) was influential in the civil rights movement.

Can you give any examples to back this up? I've watched quite a few documentaries on the civil rights era, and I've never heard any person, black or white, cite the book or movie as being in any way galvanizing.

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MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 20:34

SharonEllis · 16/01/2026 09:03

And on impact of Grapes of Wrath www.arts.gov/stories/blog/2020/ten-things-you-might-not-know-about-grapes-wrath#:~:text=Fiction%20in%201940.-,Did%20you%20know%E2%80%A6?,law%20reforms%20and%20wage%20regulation.

Thank you! Sadly, it often can come down to getting your book read, or your movie seen, by someone with actual power - as opposed to creating a groundswell.

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MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 20:33

Redstarcloud · 16/01/2026 06:58

Black Beauty had a big impact on animal welfare at the time (people who don’t know it can be surprised by how dark it is)

Another interesting example! Yes!

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MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 20:32

efeslight · 16/01/2026 06:48

I think George Orwell 1984 and Animal Farm have had an impact on our political understanding and are often referenced in modern culture. Not sure if these books had an impact at the time they were published

Often referenced, yes, but personally I don't think they made a damn bit of difference.
It has amazed me that the country that gave us 1984 would allow the level of surveillance currently in the U.K.

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MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 20:31

FruAashild · 16/01/2026 06:33

No Name by Wilkie Collins helped changed the laws around inheritance by illegitimate children. I have a feeling The Woman in White had an effect on the laws around asylums. Like Dickens his novels were incredibly popular and so changed the conversation in the same way that TV shows like Adolescence have in the present day.

More trivially Shirley by Charlotte Bronte changed Shirley from a boys name to a girls name.

Interesting. Also about the name!

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MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 20:29

PixellatedPixie · 16/01/2026 09:21

@MsAmerica The South African equivalent of Uncle Sam’s Cabin would probably be Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton as if humanised the people affected by apartheid an shone a light on what was going on in SA. It was very widely read even in the UK and US.

Interesting example!

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MsAmerica · 24/01/2026 20:29

SharonEllis · 17/01/2026 08:18

Its a really interesting thread @MsAmerica I think its useful to think about novels that had a direct catalytic effect as distinct from just being popular and 'influential' - the latter category often helps the generations that come after to understand how change happened and helps to keep issues alive.

I agree. But I would guess that it's much more frequent that there are indirectly influential or inspiring novels, and much harder to know that for sure. I imagine that early women novelists prompted real-world change by the mere fact of announcing that such a thing as a popular woman author even existed!

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SharonEllis · 24/01/2026 16:53

AnnaQuayInTheUk · 24/01/2026 16:51

@SharonEllis apologies, I've only just seen your query re RTP and the Labour Party election. There's quite a lot written about it, I'll try to attach a screenshot of something from the TUC website but if you Google "RTP and Labour landslide" quite a few links pop up.

Thank you, very interesting. Fred Ball also write a biography of Tressell I think.

AnnaQuayInTheUk · 24/01/2026 16:51

@SharonEllis apologies, I've only just seen your query re RTP and the Labour Party election. There's quite a lot written about it, I'll try to attach a screenshot of something from the TUC website but if you Google "RTP and Labour landslide" quite a few links pop up.

What novels have had a substantial real-world effect?
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