Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Justified! No need for spoiler alerts!

Finally! I have science on my side! I have long been one of those people who must read the end of a book before I get there. It's too stressful to me to not know and I like seeing the way an author twists and turns things. Now, according to a study by UC San Diego, I was right all along.

Yep. Spoilers enhance our enjoyment of stories. In fact, spoilers may help us reach a deeper understanding of the story.

So . . . all you people who have looked at me with horror on their faces, all you people who have said that it's "cheating" to read the end of the story, to you I say HA! It's not just that I'm neurotic. It's science.

So are you an end reader? Or no?

5 comments:

Stephanie Doyle said...

I will HA! Right there with you Eileen. I too have received scornful looks for skipping ahead.

In fact the only one thing I don't like about my Kindle is that I find it more difficult to skip ahead.

My attitude is - why put yourself through the stress if you don't have to.

PM Kavanaugh said...

I am not, but now, with science behind me, maybe I'll become one!

Maureen McGowan said...

I heard about that study, too. I am decidedly not a person who likes to know the end first.

BUT... I do like to re-read or re-watch the very best books and movies after I know the end. I do like to go back and look for planted seeds and admire the artistry if it's there, but the first time through, I do not want to know the end. It doesn't ruin a book for me, just changes the experience and if part of what the author was trying to do was surprise me, I want to have that chance to be surprised.

But I fully accept that it doesn't ruin the experience for some people. :)

Eileen said...

I don't have the patience for rereads except in very special circumstances. I actually spent some time diagramming out Harlan Coben's The Woods and Brunonia Barry's The Lace Reader to see how they planted all the right clues in all the right places.

And Steph, OMG, my life feels so stressful right now. You're so right. If I can turn the stress off in just one place, it's worth it!

Anonymous said...

I'm totally an end reader... sometimes just to find out if the book is worth the read...

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