A conundrum: from my very unscientific research, I have discovered that a majority of people dislike having the end of a book or movie given away. Among the reasons offered are assertions that it "takes the fun away, " "ruins the surprise," or prevents one from "figuring it out" alone.
So then, why do we reread books? (I can't be the only one who's read the Harry Potter series more times than I can count). Why do we watch the same movies over and over again? (I know The Parent Trap by heart and still love it). Why the fascination with fortune telling, horoscopes, and Ouija boards? And why do the guests of honor at surprise parties always look more frightened and disconcerted than genuinely pleased? I thought we liked surprises.
I think we have two conflicting desires: the desire to have it all at once, and the desire to enjoy the ride. An indecipherable story leaves us thinking How can this possibly end?, but something prevents us from flipping to the final chapter to find out. It feels like cheating. But once we've finished the book, that's no longer cheating. From here, our second desire can overtake our first.
In the case of books, I know why I personally reread them.
1) Reading a book is having an experience. If I enjoy that experience, I want to experience it again. It's like getting a massage or eating a chocolate chip cookie. If it's nice, do it again. If it keeps entertaining you, keep reading it until you're satisfied. That's the base, hedonist view of things.
2) If I enjoy Reading #1 of Book A, and I enjoy Reading #2 of Book A, it does not necessarily mean I enjoy the readings in the same way, or event the same amount. Reading #1 may have that element of surprise, that satisfaction of learning something new, or of taking a journey and arriving somewhere. Reading #2 removes that surprise, but also some of the tension. It allows me to slow down without worrying about the ending. I am able to notice things I might have skimmed over or not spent enough time thinking about. Once I know the ending, I can see better how the events before it must lead to it.
What do you guys think? Why do we revisit things when the "surprise" is "ruined"?
I agree with the fact that you enjoy the second reading of a good book in a different way than the first. Personally, I like to reread certain books even after the surprise is ruined to look back for the clues I missed, knowing how the book ends. Sometimes the foreshadowing seems so obvious on the second reading that I laugh at my own ignorance. It is also the case that I can read the books slower, picking out more details because I don't feel the rush to get to the end. I'm rereading the Harry Potter series right now, and its a very different experience knowing how the series ends and knowing the motives of each character. Different, but still enjoyable.
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