To maintain that works of fiction are inconsequential is to display one's ignorance of history and its influence of literature—not to mention, the influence of song.

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, was a novel that whipped up sentiment that led to the Civil War. And several works by Charles Dickens, such as Oliver Twist, depicting the plight of orphaned or homeless children, and Bleak House, detailing the social and legal paralysis that can be caused by brainless and obstructive bureaucracy, and several others by Dickens, led to social change. From an article on Dickens and the social impact of his "fiction:"

At a time when Britain was the major economic and political power of the world, Dickens highlighted the life of the forgotten poor and disadvantaged within society. Through his journalism he campaigned on specific issues—such as sanitation and the workhouse—but his fiction probably demonstrated its greatest power in changing public opinion in regard to class inequalities. He often depicted the exploitation and oppression of the poor and condemned the public officials and institutions that not only allowed such abuses to exist, but who flourished as a result.

His most strident indictment of this condition is in Hard Times (1854), Dickens's only novel-length treatment of the industrial working class. In this work, he uses both vitriol and satire to illustrate how this marginalized social stratum was termed "Hands" by the factory owners; that is, not really "people" but rather only appendages of the machines they operated. His writings inspired others, in particular journalists and political figures, to address such problems of class oppression. For example, the prison scenes in The Pickwick Papers are claimed to have been influential in having the Fleet Prison shut down. Karl Marx asserted that Dickens "…issued to the world more political and social truths than have been uttered by all the professional politicians, publicists and moralists put together."

As to Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, another article excerpt for you enlightenment and edification:

Uncle Tom's Cabin was published in book form on March 20, 1852, by John P. Jewett with an initial print run of 5,000 copies. In less than a year, the book sold an unprecedented three hundred thousand copies.   By December, Jewett issued an inexpensive edition at 37 1/2 cents each to further inspire sales.

The book's emotional portrayal of the impact of slavery captured the nation's attention. It added to the debate about abolition and slavery, and aroused opposition in the South.

After the start of the Civil War, Stowe met President Abraham Lincoln on November 25, 1862. Her son later reported that Lincoln greeted her by saying, "So you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war."

Two authors of "fiction," and in Dickens' case, several novels dealing with social and political issues that have had a powerful influence on society.

But the influential ideas in fictional works are not always positive.

As to the influence of Ayn Rand and her fiction, underlined by her works of non-fiction—so far:

1. has resulted in one President (Ronald Reagan) systematically disassembling or emasculating regulatory agencies and social programs initiated by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s, programs and agencies that reigned in Wall Street and the bankers, put people back to work during the Great Depression, and provided security during old age (Social Security);
2. got a member of her "inner circle," Alan Greenspan, appointed head of the Federal Reserve Bank;
3. inspired a coterie of her fans to form the Libertarian Party (note: Libertarian, NOT Liberal), which reflects Ayn Rand's values, and which, with a very few years, has grown into the third largest political party in the United States;   
4. further inspired another group to form the looser-knit "Tea Party, with essentially the same beliefs and goals;
5. Led Paul Ryan and several other politicians to insist that all members of their staffs read Ayn Rand's works; and
6. Although he denies it, the word is that Rand Paul was named after Ayn Rand (his parents were great admirers of Ayn Rand's writing).

Ideas are not confined to heavy, philosophical tomes. More often than many people suspect, ideas are smuggled—uncritically—into their consciousness because most people read fiction for enjoyment and recreation, and their critical faculties are often not in gear.

Poor ol' Goofup. It doesn't seem to occur to him that one can read BOTH fiction and non-fiction.

But first, Goofball, you have to learn to read....

Don Firth