The comments on a thread over at Making Light have got me thinking about reading. The post was initially about people who don’t get fantasy, but what struck me was a passing comment on how people read:

For some of us, the irony and the metaphor and the assorted not-story bits are what we enjoy chewing on…Speaking solely for myself, the story element, no matter how cracking, rarely satisfies.

This completely boggles my mind–the idea of reading for anything besides the story.

When I read, for the most part, it is to become absorbed in the story. I may notice historical details, which I find interesting, but metaphor? That reminds me of the English literature classes that I thought I would like, but instead always found disappointing. I don’t care what different parts of the story stand for. I care what the characters do and what happens to them–usually to the point that I have trouble putting down the book and doing something else.

I read for the way that the books make me feel.

When I look over at my bookshelves, I can pick out my favorite fantasy books at a glance: Sean Russell’s The Initiate Brother, Guy Gavriel Kay’s Sarantine Mosaic, Steven Brust’s Viscount of Adrilankha, David Edding’s Belgariad, Ellen Kushner’s Swordspoint, Lian Hearn’s Tales of the Otori… and what all these books have in common is that I love the stories they tell, I love the way the stories make me feel what the characters feel, I love the characters.

That people would read fantasy for some other reason is astounding to me–I cannot wrap my mind around the idea. Sure I read non-fiction to learn–I enjoy learning. But fiction is an escape. I may wonder whether the details in a piece of historical fiction are correct or not, but that just makes me want to read more about the subject. (How do I love Google–let me count the ways.)

Is this reading fiction as a mataphor common? Do a lot of people do this? Why do they do this? Doesn’t it get in the way of enjoying a book?

Weird.