narrative addiction
Over the course of 34 days of February and March, I watched 111 episodes of LOST. The first day I watched it for 12 hours straight at the Tillboig'z. There were a few more epic marathons, but mostly watching a few episodes each night. The show has some stupid moments, and I don't like some of the characters (Kate), but overall, it has kept me engaged.
I can't seem to get into nonfiction books. I read wonderful articles all day long, but actually getting through a whole book has been pretty much impossible. (Essays are easier; I enjoyed Freakonomics, and have actually made it through a few chapters of Joseph Kerman's Opera and the Morbidity of Music.) I give up. Even if I'm interested, I am not motivated to continue; I don't wonder what is coming next.
I love diving into a narrative. Before LOST it was the Golden Compass books. Before that, it was Big Love. Before that, Infinite Jest. But I don't like waiting. I'm much more pleased when I can devour an entire series in one go, at my own pace, than when I have to wait week after week for the story to unfold. (Related: I hate suspense.) So when I read comic books, I read the trade paperbacks, not the weeklies. I just lose track and stop caring.
LOST has a complicated enough plot and I've put enough time into it that I'm still interested in what's going to happen week-to-week. Tonight's episode will explain focus on Richard Alpert! I'm quite excited about it. The quality of the television does matter in my willingness to move from marathon consumption to serial consumption—I really don't care so much about Gossip Girl or House or The Office right now, but they just aren't that great. I'll still probably catch up at some point, but mostly because I'm invested in the characters and enjoy a sense of completion, and not because it is Excellent Television.
I slogged through the fourth season of Alias with Nina, but upon watching the premiere of the fifth season (and the death of one of my favorite characters), I gave up and went straight to the last episode (which was also terrible). I abandoned House at the end of the third season, when his whole team leaves gone. I then picked House back up for the fifth season, I think out of boredom, and learned to like his new team (which is mostly gone, again).
I love living in other worlds. And in the multiverse, I do!
I can't seem to get into nonfiction books. I read wonderful articles all day long, but actually getting through a whole book has been pretty much impossible. (Essays are easier; I enjoyed Freakonomics, and have actually made it through a few chapters of Joseph Kerman's Opera and the Morbidity of Music.) I give up. Even if I'm interested, I am not motivated to continue; I don't wonder what is coming next.
I love diving into a narrative. Before LOST it was the Golden Compass books. Before that, it was Big Love. Before that, Infinite Jest. But I don't like waiting. I'm much more pleased when I can devour an entire series in one go, at my own pace, than when I have to wait week after week for the story to unfold. (Related: I hate suspense.) So when I read comic books, I read the trade paperbacks, not the weeklies. I just lose track and stop caring.
LOST has a complicated enough plot and I've put enough time into it that I'm still interested in what's going to happen week-to-week. Tonight's episode will explain focus on Richard Alpert! I'm quite excited about it. The quality of the television does matter in my willingness to move from marathon consumption to serial consumption—I really don't care so much about Gossip Girl or House or The Office right now, but they just aren't that great. I'll still probably catch up at some point, but mostly because I'm invested in the characters and enjoy a sense of completion, and not because it is Excellent Television.
I slogged through the fourth season of Alias with Nina, but upon watching the premiere of the fifth season (and the death of one of my favorite characters), I gave up and went straight to the last episode (which was also terrible). I abandoned House at the end of the third season, when his whole team leaves gone. I then picked House back up for the fifth season, I think out of boredom, and learned to like his new team (which is mostly gone, again).
I love living in other worlds. And in the multiverse, I do!
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