Reading

After doing that exercise in class today where we wrote the images we saw when reading certain passages, I had a realization. I really noticed just how subjective images can be when we read. I know that I automatically picture a certain situation and certain scenarios every time I read a few words strung together, but there is no way that anyone else can picture what I'm seeing. Our past experiences shape our reading to such a large extent. This could explain why people have different tastes in reading. If someone had a similar experience to a character in a story, the reader will automatically connect to the story better and picture their own situation reoccurring. The fact that we know someone else is experiencing the same things we do is comforting. This idea also explains why people rarely like movies as much as books; because the characters and the scenery from our minds are altered and we, as humans, typically tend to get grumpy when things change. I find that I am now acutely aware and incredibly curious as to what other people see when reading the same thing that I'm reading. How crazy would it be to get inside some one's head for a few moments and watch the images moving, and then be able to compare that to the image in my own head! If only... No, I guess that would be a little creepy. But still, it would be cool to know all the different versions of characters that we think we know so well.