Posted by Peter Ceresole on February 13, 2012 at 07:48:00 user PeterC.
In Reply to: Re: Reality and the Reader (more on Peter Duck etc) posted by Woll on February 12, 2012 at 14:11:47:
Although I know that everyone has some that are more favourite that others - having such a wide variation of enjoyment from books in the series is an interesting concept.
I think that 'enjoyment' is the key word there. It isn't fixed, it certainly isn't peer reviewed science; and enjoyment has so many sources, and changes with time. When I first read WDMTGTS I remember skipping the whole 'Meanwhile Jim is in hospital' bit, although now it's the bit I reread most often. Taste evolves; at one time my favourite was SD, then PD. Later I stopped rereading those and burrowed into the Broads stories- I read BS several times. Next up was WH, which I still reread these days, but PM has been my real favourite for years, and in that case I'm sure I know why.
(1) I fell in love with Dot (but what chap doesn't?.
(2) in general it is the most character-based story, and the interaction with the adults gives it greater depth.
Possibly for that reason, my preference for it came late, but has remained steadfast for several decades. I'm over seventy now; maybe that's a factor too.
The reality or otherwise of the stories leads to delightful researches, happy delving and good back-story books, but actually had little influence on my enjoyment. The real contextual pleasure comes from the superb, solid quality of the writing and the soundness of the stories themselves. But then we all know that...