You have an interesting point here about how people in power may not necessarily be influenced through empathy. So where is that connection? How did people in power come around to understanding the need for human rights? And in that, was it through empathy? I agree that if readers feel empathy towards the characters in a novel, it does not necessarily mean they want certain aspects of the character or plot implemented in their own lives. However, I do think it is through empathy in novels we are then able to feel empathy towards people in our own lives. For example, if a novel has a character struggling with homelessness, the reader is then opened to that person's personal life. That reader is then going to empathize with homeless people they see around them in real life. As Hunt quoted Diderot in her lecture, he realized that "others have 'selves' too," through reading Richardon's book Pamela.