I read a long time ago that there are only two kinds of beginnings:
A stranger comes to town.
Or,
Someone takes a journey.
Funny enough, seems like every story-beginning I’ve seen can be boiled down to either of these phrases (or sometimes both!).
I can’t say as I’ve ever used this factoid to start a story, but I think it’s useful to know.
A few observation and much reasoning lead to error; many observations and a little reasoning to truth.
—Alexis Carrel
I think you’re probably right. New stimuli that acts as motivating factor is something the reader both hopes for and fears in their own life. Fiction that provides what you pointed out can act as emotional trial run for the reader, provided the charachters are famiiar. Good fiction can be the ice-breaker for something truly transformational. At least that’s how I justify being a novelist. 😉
I’ve always felt that reading is one of the very best ways to develop empathy, since good pieces can put you in the mindset of someone in a situation completely foreign to your own, and help you understand them.