Whenever i read a story a sense of tranquility dawns on me. I often spend my weekends sprawled on my couch holding the novel above me with both my hands.And more often than not my face will succumb to a soft trace of smile.A smile which is not dictated by the turn of events in the novel. Ofcourse, When Jeeves come up with a crisp meticulous response to a haphazardly told problem of Wooster, the smile undoubtedly widens. But it is still there when Scout Finch talks of her fear and fascination of 'Boo' Radley.
A part of it could be because of the escape that the story provides from reality. As long as the story is going on the past present or the future of real world ceases to have any impact on me. But then, this is true for all things that we refer as " break". Whether watching a movie, a tv series or playing a video game. They all suspend reality for a brief time.But while i often feel a sense of emptiness once a series ends, a sense of fulfillment follows an ending of a story. The joy of reading a story has clearly more to it than the mere suspension of the reality.
For an introvert like me the best part is probably knowing so many non intrusive people. They share with me their happiness their sorrows their entire life. And most of them are like me too.Neither good nor really bad people. And then they only connect to me through the path of the story. They will not disturb my sense of peace. They will not be the one jumping on me when i long for the bliss of absolute silence.They are the rarest of the rare friends. Friends who can sit besides you for hours without having any need for a conversation.
But once again i cannot help but notice the similarities across other mediums. A movie or a TV series both introduces characters who can be shut on and off based on convenience.And yet there is a difference. Firstly the pace of a novel or a TV series do not allow scope for much character development. Movies or TV series talks of events happening to characters whereas a novel talks of characters going through events. The people inside the story are of more importance than the story itself. That also explains why habitual readers have such distaste for the recent trend of Chetan Bhagat type books. Born and brought up on a diet of rich layered characters they cannot ignore the emptiness created by the half sketched one dimensional characters.No matter how easy the language be or how interesting be the events.
This could also explain why i feel a sense of fulfillment as opposed to emptiness while finishing a novel.When a tv series movie or a video game ends it just crashes me back to reality with nothing else. A novel though interweaves my life with the lives of so many people; imaginary as they may be. The story ends but the people within it do not.
But there is more to it. The connect that i feel with the characters can not just simply be explained by the sheer literary genius that goes behind building them. They seem so close because a part of me lies with them too. A novel will always have a breathing space for characters. There will always be traits that the author simple cannot define however hard he may try. And this breathing space , this chink , this anomaly makes for the most endearing part of it. Because this breathing space is the part where the characters become mine more than the author's. I do the breathing. I assign them traits. I install a part of me or someone i know of in the character.
The author may write the sentence that 'he' speaks. But it is I who decides the pause' he' takes-the pause i take- to begin it. The author may say that 'he' does not look up when 'he' is walking but it is I who decides the "why" for 'him'. And so they do not just remain some people that i once read about. They become a bit of me. When they share their life me i too inadvertently share a part of me too.
And this is why i love reading a story.
A part of it could be because of the escape that the story provides from reality. As long as the story is going on the past present or the future of real world ceases to have any impact on me. But then, this is true for all things that we refer as " break". Whether watching a movie, a tv series or playing a video game. They all suspend reality for a brief time.But while i often feel a sense of emptiness once a series ends, a sense of fulfillment follows an ending of a story. The joy of reading a story has clearly more to it than the mere suspension of the reality.
For an introvert like me the best part is probably knowing so many non intrusive people. They share with me their happiness their sorrows their entire life. And most of them are like me too.Neither good nor really bad people. And then they only connect to me through the path of the story. They will not disturb my sense of peace. They will not be the one jumping on me when i long for the bliss of absolute silence.They are the rarest of the rare friends. Friends who can sit besides you for hours without having any need for a conversation.
But once again i cannot help but notice the similarities across other mediums. A movie or a TV series both introduces characters who can be shut on and off based on convenience.And yet there is a difference. Firstly the pace of a novel or a TV series do not allow scope for much character development. Movies or TV series talks of events happening to characters whereas a novel talks of characters going through events. The people inside the story are of more importance than the story itself. That also explains why habitual readers have such distaste for the recent trend of Chetan Bhagat type books. Born and brought up on a diet of rich layered characters they cannot ignore the emptiness created by the half sketched one dimensional characters.No matter how easy the language be or how interesting be the events.
This could also explain why i feel a sense of fulfillment as opposed to emptiness while finishing a novel.When a tv series movie or a video game ends it just crashes me back to reality with nothing else. A novel though interweaves my life with the lives of so many people; imaginary as they may be. The story ends but the people within it do not.
But there is more to it. The connect that i feel with the characters can not just simply be explained by the sheer literary genius that goes behind building them. They seem so close because a part of me lies with them too. A novel will always have a breathing space for characters. There will always be traits that the author simple cannot define however hard he may try. And this breathing space , this chink , this anomaly makes for the most endearing part of it. Because this breathing space is the part where the characters become mine more than the author's. I do the breathing. I assign them traits. I install a part of me or someone i know of in the character.
The author may write the sentence that 'he' speaks. But it is I who decides the pause' he' takes-the pause i take- to begin it. The author may say that 'he' does not look up when 'he' is walking but it is I who decides the "why" for 'him'. And so they do not just remain some people that i once read about. They become a bit of me. When they share their life me i too inadvertently share a part of me too.
And this is why i love reading a story.