If something unexpected were to happen in your own life, would you feel frustrated with yourself for not expecting it? Well based on this post maybe you would and you may want to evaluate the unreasonable expectations you place on yourself, but it is better to enjoy a piece of fiction as simply the retelling of events in a world that doesn't exist. If a friend were to come and tell you an interesting story you shouldn't sit there and try and guess the next words out of their mouth and then ignore them while you feel frustrated with yourself because you failed to do so. It would be better to enjoy the story simply for its twists and turns. Fiction is not a puzzle for you to solve. Remember back to the first time you heard a child's parable such as that of the tortoise and the hare. The purpose of the story is not meant to trick you but rather to teach you through subverting expectations. You expect the hare to win and when the tortoise wins we are not chastised for guessing incorrectly, rather we are prompted to gain a deeper understanding of the world through the retelling of unexpected outcomes.
If you feel that you take no pleasure in fiction than by all means put it down and find what brings you peace and understanding. But before you do I would implore you to give fiction one more chance but this time, simply read the story through without any expectations of guessing what will happen on the next page. And once you've finished it, take a week to just consider the ideas the story presented you. If you feel that you've gained nothing from that introspection then forget about fiction.
doughnuttouch t1_j3wa5ru wrote
Reply to I am considering about giving up reading novels by Puzzleheaded_Bee1944
If something unexpected were to happen in your own life, would you feel frustrated with yourself for not expecting it? Well based on this post maybe you would and you may want to evaluate the unreasonable expectations you place on yourself, but it is better to enjoy a piece of fiction as simply the retelling of events in a world that doesn't exist. If a friend were to come and tell you an interesting story you shouldn't sit there and try and guess the next words out of their mouth and then ignore them while you feel frustrated with yourself because you failed to do so. It would be better to enjoy the story simply for its twists and turns. Fiction is not a puzzle for you to solve. Remember back to the first time you heard a child's parable such as that of the tortoise and the hare. The purpose of the story is not meant to trick you but rather to teach you through subverting expectations. You expect the hare to win and when the tortoise wins we are not chastised for guessing incorrectly, rather we are prompted to gain a deeper understanding of the world through the retelling of unexpected outcomes. If you feel that you take no pleasure in fiction than by all means put it down and find what brings you peace and understanding. But before you do I would implore you to give fiction one more chance but this time, simply read the story through without any expectations of guessing what will happen on the next page. And once you've finished it, take a week to just consider the ideas the story presented you. If you feel that you've gained nothing from that introspection then forget about fiction.