Why does Literature matter?

Just getting back from the lecture, the amazing images and facts are flowing through my mind. Maria Roas Menocal showed us images of Spain that I could never think of existing. The lecture was very interesting and worth going to.
One major theme Menocal brought up was that literature is key to history. Literature explains history, which made me think of our class because we talk about literature related to its time period. She brought up question Why does literature matter? To back up this question Menocal talks about how Don Quijote writes two parts of a novel which stories in them, his reasoning for writing these stories were because of the civil war in Italy. There is a pattern throughout history that writers tend to write during a tragedy or failed love.
So why does literature matter? It matters because it explains history in a more poetic way. It explains the feelings of citizens that are going through the tragedy. It makes us feel like we are in the moment, instead of just reading the facts it gives us the fiction, the myths and the stories told at that time.
Overall this was a very good lecture! I am very glad I went and learned lots! :-)