Batman Won't Save You

if you spoil this for me.

I'm ashamed today. 

I've been going to the midnight releases of the last two Batman movies by Christopher Nolan and intended on seeing The Dark Knight Rises last night. But no . . . that didn't happen.

Thus, I've spent the entire day trying to avoid spoilers about the movie. For me, I don't like spoilers unless they increase my interest in a movie, but my views aren't the same for books. Let me explain why.

Spoiler Alert!

It's relatively easy to spoil an entire movie for someone, and at times, it's almost impossible not to. When a movie is really, really good, you can't help but chat about it. This works if you're around people who also checked out the film, but you need to consider the eavesdropper. 

Rubbernecks don't mean to be rubbernecks, but sometimes you can't help but notice things. When people say the word "Batman", I cannot help myself from tuning in for a split second. 

Movies depict so much detail in such little time, which also aids in spoiling movies. When you're told what to see, what to hear, what to feel, etc. there's not much to really access. (Film theory is something completely different, however.) But as far as plain, old play-play story lines, a movie is easy to grasp and easy to regurgitate. There's a reason more people quote movies and TV shows than books. 

For this reason, book spoilers operate a little differently. 

Can You Spoil a Book?

Yes, you can spoil a book. Now that the answer is out of the way, there's no reason to keep reading, right? I spoiled the ending.

But it's not true. I told you how this blog was going to go, but I didn't tell you how. See, when it comes to blockbusters like The Dark Knight Rises, a simple snippet of the storyline can sometimes be a bit too revealing. Honestly, if I would've told everyone the ending of Inception or Fight Club, those films would've been ruined. Interesting, yes, but spoiled.

With literature, it's sometimes advantageous to know the inside information. In the cinema world, you might completely lose interest in a story once it is spoiled. Quite honestly, many flicks in mainstream cinemas don't bury the detail or give too many subtle build-ups.

However, knowing the ending of Hamlet doesn't stop you from becoming involved with the story. Also, the more detail you pick up in a book like 1984, the better. It's the sort of book you re-read after it ends. You go back and see how beautifully it was constructed (or not). You stop to smell the roses or see when exactly the female FBI agent disarmed the criminal. 

Some people actually love spoilers. Once they figure out some of the primary plot points of a story, they can read and make their own analyses. Where was the twist? How did it work? Oh, so that's why she used to pick grass in the outfield. You get the idea.

Books also allow the mind to imagine. Horror movies aren't always scary because they assume your fears and portray them in the way that might make you cringe. Stephen King, on the other hand, uses how you see your own fears against you. When you're reading, you're conjuring up your own evil clown (Pennywise), not Nigel Thornberry - er, Dr. Frank-N-Furter - I mean Tim Curry. 

There are ways to spoil a book, but they're intricate stuff. 

In short, feel free to a spoil a little bit of a book, but don't you dare spoil Batman until I see it. Remember, this isn't Gotham City. No one will save you if you do.

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