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From: moreau%speedy.DEC@decwrl.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: The concept of spoilers
Message-ID: <2310@topaz.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 18-Jun-85 12:20:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: topaz.2310
Posted: Tue Jun 18 12:20:07 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 20-Jun-85 21:03:40 EDT
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Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
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From: moreau%speedy.DEC@decwrl.ARPA  (Ken Moreau, ZKO2-3/N30 3N11, DTN 381-2102)

>> "It's difficult to tell the plot without ruining (at least
>> partially) the book," wrote Leeper about a new ALICE pastiche.
> 
>Well, let me re-phrase myself--if I tell you the plot, I will ruin
>the enjoyment you'll get from watching it unfold yourself.  Watching
>the "Alice" chess game develop is more fun than having someone
>explain it all to you first, at least for me.

(And, by the other Leeper):

>                                              ... Sure, a second
>reading can be more fun than the first, so what?  Does that make it
>justified for the reviewer diminishing the pleasure on the first
>reading?  The second reading is more pleasurable not because the
>reader knows the plot in advance, usually, but because the reader
>sees more in the story.  

To me, knowing every line of a book, every plot twist, knowing who lives,
who dies, which people manage to get together (if anyone manages to), is
the only way that I can enjoy it.  Otherwise the nervous tension of simply
*NOT KNOWING* what is going to happen seriously detracts from any pleasure
that I might have gotten out of it.  I agree with the above comment about
why the second reading is more enjoyable than the first, but would say that
the reason I see more in the story is because the plot cannot surprise me.  
I don't understand the point about watching the chess game develop the first 
time being more enjoyable than having someone explain it to you first. In 
fiction you never know if the next paragraph will not have the aliens landing
and blowing away ever character you know about so far.  I grant you that this
is unlikely in the Alice stories, but it is very likely in other books, and
the tension of watching (waiting) for that almost ruins my enjoyment of any
book the first time through.

For example, I just finished "To Reign In Hell".  Excellent job, SKZB.  But
the instant that I finished the last page, I flipped back and started with
the first page, to re-read the entire book so I could *ENJOY* it this time.
I do this with almost every book I read (except the ones that I didn't like
for other reasons (such as boredom)).

All of this applies equally to movies/plays/television/short stories/etc.

Obviously not everyone agrees with this, otherwise there would not be the
plethora of *** SPOILER *** warnings. Could someone who doesn't read spoilers
respond with why you feel the way you do?  Thanks.

								Ken Moreau