The Agony and the Ecstacy

[dumbledore11214]

> Magpie:
> LOL! Honestly, have you never read a book you didn't like? Did you 
> consider it a failure on your part? Did you scold yourself for 
> wanting something different?
> 
> Of course not! You can dislike a book for some other reason than 
you 
> didn't get your pet theory coming true. There are plenty of books I 
> didn't like that I've read without having years of analysis in 
> between, and I talked about why I didn't like them too. Sure there 
> are individuals who are going to be unreasonable or have some 
quirky 
> thing that keeps them from enjoying something or makes them enjoy 
> something. But I don't see how making up demeaning psychoanalytical 
> reasons why people didn't like a book is any better than them 
coming 
> up with demeaning reasons that you did like it. Because it isn't 
any 
> better.


Alla:

Actually, I cannot remember ever disliking the book because I wanted 
something different and again I am talking about **my** experiences 
only, nobody else's.

Because for me as somebody who analysed the books for years as well 
as I mentioned what Steve said initially ring true for my experiences 
as a reader - as in how I was consciously or unconsciously separating 
my desire to have my theories be true or not.


Actually I should phrase first paragraph differently. Of course I 
read plenty of books where I wanted something different, but as far 
as I remenber it never entered my mind, to how to put it - to dislike 
the book on the intellectual level, even if I will not want to reread 
it again.

Again, that is **me**, I believe I have a right to talk about my 
experiences, just as anybody else has a right to talk about theirs.


The good example would be Pullman's "His Dark Materials". I loved the 
first book and second and hated third and especially ending.

But was it my fault for hating the third book? Um, yeah, TOTALLY. I 
mean, not **fault**, but my views if that make sense.

Third book was not any worse written or anything like that, it is 
just I did not get what I wanted out of it.

So, I absolutely think that the books are fantastically written, 
great story, etc, but I will NOT reread them again. That does not 
mean that I will ever claim that Pullman is a bad writer, that his 
story does not flow, etc.

It is just he took the story in the direction I disliked immensely, 
but it is my problem, NOT his.

Again, there is no implied comparison with what people who hated 
seventh book think of Rowling, it is a description of how I think of 
the books.


There are plenty of reasons to dislike the books and they are all 
**valid** as far as I am concerned.

But if I did not get out of story something that I wanted, it is 
never a reason for me to dislike the story on the intellectual level.

Like if Harry would have died, sure, whether it would be well written 
or not, I would be upset.

But if it was well done, I would still respect the books, just not 
reread them or at least I hope so.

Alla.