Readers actually enjoy stories more when authors are less coy: Subjects significantly preferred the spoiled versions of ironic-twist stories, where, for example, it was revealed before reading that a condemned man’s daring escape is all a fantasy before the noose snaps tight around his neck. Subjects read stories as-is and with introductory paragraphs that gave away the endings, or spoilers. In almost all cases, they preferred the “spoiled” stories. The same held true for mysteries. … Subjects liked the literary, evocative stories least overall, but still preferred the spoiled versions over the unspoiled ones. (
If a story is spoiled, then the reader will be able to detect its subleties — things like foreshadowing — on the first reading. These sorts of literary tricks tend to indicate skilled, intelligent writing; and since the reader wants to look intelligent and discerning to the experimenter, I predict that readers would exaggerate how much they liked the spoiled version of the story.
Otoh, signalling is so integral to fiction that it might be silly of me to speak to motive. Pleasure from signalling is as valid as any other, right?
The best stories I've read and seen tend to be the ones which work on multiple levels, so that even if you miss all the subtext and you don't understand any of the subtlety, the story as-read still makes perfect sense the whole way through, but there are additional themes, references, and ironies that may require more effort or background knowledge to spot. The result feels like a sort of information compression: as long as decoding the indirection isn't *necessary* to understand the story, not having it decoded explicitly by the writer saves time and avoids boredom.
But maybe most people disagree, or maybe *I* really disagree but I can't tell because I can't do a double-blind study with only myself as a subject. The only flaw I can see in this study is that it doesn't make any attempt to address the value of multiple readings. Without spoilers, you can appreciate the story once for the surprise and/or mystery, then a second time for the dramatic irony. With spoilers you're effectively forced to "skip" the first reading.
There are direct status effects from how much precision you ask for, too. Cool people don't want or need everything spelled out for them. It's anxious and nerdy types who always want to get the details nailed down in advance.
If a story is spoiled, then the reader will be able to detect its subleties — things like foreshadowing — on the first reading. These sorts of literary tricks tend to indicate skilled, intelligent writing; and since the reader wants to look intelligent and discerning to the experimenter, I predict that readers would exaggerate how much they liked the spoiled version of the story.
Otoh, signalling is so integral to fiction that it might be silly of me to speak to motive. Pleasure from signalling is as valid as any other, right?
(Sorry for necro.)
The best stories I've read and seen tend to be the ones which work on multiple levels, so that even if you miss all the subtext and you don't understand any of the subtlety, the story as-read still makes perfect sense the whole way through, but there are additional themes, references, and ironies that may require more effort or background knowledge to spot. The result feels like a sort of information compression: as long as decoding the indirection isn't *necessary* to understand the story, not having it decoded explicitly by the writer saves time and avoids boredom.
But maybe most people disagree, or maybe *I* really disagree but I can't tell because I can't do a double-blind study with only myself as a subject. The only flaw I can see in this study is that it doesn't make any attempt to address the value of multiple readings. Without spoilers, you can appreciate the story once for the surprise and/or mystery, then a second time for the dramatic irony. With spoilers you're effectively forced to "skip" the first reading.
"readers", "learners", blah blah blah. WHICH readers, and WHICH learners?
There are direct status effects from how much precision you ask for, too. Cool people don't want or need everything spelled out for them. It's anxious and nerdy types who always want to get the details nailed down in advance.