All my thinking yesterday reminded me of a blog post I read last week about the doorways into a work of literature. That sounds really stuffy, but the article is not.
Story, character, setting, and language are suggested doorways people take into books. Some people have one preferred doorway; others probably have favorites from each doorway.
What are the doorways that led you to some of your favorite books? (And what are those books?) If you've read them more than once, do you find yourself being grabbed most recently by the same doorway or another one? If that's too much, maybe just pick one book you've read a lot over a long period of time. I'd love to hear about it. :)
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This is too short an answer to do the question justice, but on first read I tend to focus on story, unless the characters and setting are really, really good. I tend to reread to savor the characters and setting. (I've reread all of Bujuold's Chalion books numerous times because I love the characters and setting.)
ReplyDeleteMy feelings about language are probably the most complex. It can be offputting (I quit reading Terry Brooks because of overworked phrases like "keen elven eyesight" and "lonely/solitary, dark figure"). I can overlook it (I've read all of Paolini's Eragon books despite the language). Most times I don't pay much attention to it. Sometimes I really love it (the dialogue in the Temeraire books, for its period language). Sometimes it's the only thing that keeps me reading a book (Tess of the d'Urbervilles).