What novels have had a substantial real-world effect?

What substantial RL effects do you think any of those have had? I can't think of anything but happy to be corrected/informed like I was with To Kill A Mockingbird.

50 Shades of Grey had a huge impact on society. I think it counts as "substantial". Also "We Need to Talk About Kevin". And I'm sticking with "Eat, Pray, Love". All three had a huge impact on real life, especially women's lives.

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.

OP appears to have changed her mind. First she was asking for "substantial", now she wants direct causation for empire collapse.

In this sort of phrasing ie did X novel lead directly to Y outcome?

@SharonEllis

as per my earlier posts, any novel is a part of the zeitgeist/outcome, not the whole. So I think we are agreeing.

Where did she say standalone? Noone could argue slavery wouldn't have come to an end without Uncle Tom's Cabin but it clearly had a massive direct impact. It wasn't the only factor thst changed minds and galvanised opinion.

Good point and not trivial at all!

Much more light-hearted but the Harry Potter novels got many young non-readers reading.

Understood - but the OP seems to be looking for novels with a substantial standalone impact. I cited those books/actions as at least or more impactful as DC; I wasn’t claiming they were novels

I think you've got a good point, but many examples on this thread disprove it too. I don't think anyone is suggesting 'one book on its own'. That's moving the goalposts. But some obviously have had a direct impact.

Most novels are a creation of their time so reflect or absorb the zeitgeist, but also help to create it. Its hard to pin down. Influence partly comes from an audience ready to receive its message, even if its the book that articulates the message. That audience can then go on to push for the change. They might have done it any way, they might not. Everyone know emotion is important in politics and novels can throw that into the mix.

@canklesmctacotits What change did any of those lead to ? We have discussed To Kill a Mockingbird but the others?

Well not 1984, as it seems we’re living some elements of that right now.

What effects have they had in real life?

I'm a big Jane Austen fan but can't think of a single societal change that any of her novels has led to.

Going back to Black Beauty, that directly led to the banning of bearing reins and other animal welfare legislation.

A lot of the books mentioned on the thread, may have shown how awful some situations were but didn't actually change anything in RL.

Betty Friedan and Germaine Greer kicking off second wave feminism.

A more recent example -demon copperhead. I

So many. To Kill a Mockingbird. Everything by Jane Austen. The Trial (Kafka). 1984. Catch 22. Heart of Darkness. Le Rouge et le Noir. Harry Potter. LOTR. Love in the Time of Cholera. Don Quixote. War and Peace. And on and on and on.

A lot of sci fi has strongly influenced actual science and tech.

Asimov and the three laws of robotics, William Gibson and cyberspace/VR in Neuromancer.

I'm sure there are many many more.

Jeez…this book and the dire film adaptation. Has it really been that influential??

Sure - they’re great but the OP asked about novels

I read Vera Brittains “ Testament of Youth” , her determination to obtain a university education and then to follow her brother and his friends to serve during WW1 was admirable.
I read it when my DS was in 6th form and I couldn’t imagine his friends and him being subjected to the horrors Vera and her contemporaries went through. I suppose we have the benefit of technology and social media so are able to see in real time and technicolour how wars are conducted. I doubt any young man/boy would have marched off to France in 1914 if he’d been receiving TicToks from his friends documenting life in the trenches on the front line.

Another post WWI book was “A Month in the Country” by JL Carr. The story of a veteran trying to re-enter society/life after years living in trenches amongst the horror.

Neither book is a classic but they describe the effects of war on real people. There message is far more direct and should be compulsory for every generation. A direct description of how war can destroy a generation both physically and mentally.

Wasn't this Lenin's favourite book?

I disagree the TV show has had more impact than the book

impressive!!😀

That’s fair. My mileage this year was 185,000! (My car, I’m nearly 47!)

I can think of heaps of books that disprove your theory, but also some zeitgeists are more than a passing fad and last years and in that way I agree with you and some get more intense in the middle as amazing writes tackle them. If that makes sense?

Edit: stupid slow internet today!

Imo, no. But ymmv.