Spoilers

[Svrtnsse]

I came across this article on how spoilers might make readers enjoy a story more: Stories 'not ruined by spoilers'

Something I've thought a lot about the last year or so, is how a reader's expectations shape their experience of the story they're reading. I'm thinking this might speak to the power of that. If you know what to expect, it might put you in a place where you're able to enjoy other aspects of a story more than if you didn't.

 

[TheCrystallineEntity]

I try to avoid spoilers as much as possible, especially if it's for something I really, really like. I was so upset when I accidentally found out the major spoiler of the Sandman series, for instance.

 

[Night Gardener]

I weave hints, clues, foreshadowing etc. into the narrative. The character might 'give' a spoiler, but not me as the author/narration if that makes sense. At least, I try not to offer any spoilers. I personally prefer no spoilers in my reading as well. I'd rather re-read an entire book then be given an overview as a rule. One noteable exception to this preference are really old translated texts, or texts from ancient cultures. Those are more academic 'cliffnotes' then spoilers, but something like Dante's "Inferno" was beneficial to be told outright for comprehension (as a modern reader) what is going on, and what's going to happen next, and offer historical-to-modern context.

Part of the reason I'm reading at all, is because I want it to be an intimate, immersive experience. If I know the ending, or who dies, or the major plot twists (some one tells me before I read the book) I feel like it's already changed my experience and expectations, which isn't fair to the book. If the author discloses spoilers in the beginning, I really hope they have a good reason for it.

 

[CupofJoe]

The article talks about short stories. There I can see that a spoiler [may] let the reader engage more closely with the story, because if it fails... what have they last half an hour? I think it would depend on the type of story. The reading of a whodunit could be affected differently with a spoiler, compared to a romance...
If I was 450 pages in to an epic and someone told me the ending, then I would probably feel very differently. I want to give an example of a book series that was spoiled for me... but that may be a spoiler for other people.