The cruelest thing anyone can do to Portnoy's Complaint is to read it twice.
Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Repeating the book weakens its impact, suggesting its humor or shock works best on first reading.
- In plain terms
- Reading this book twice might ruin the joke or effect it had the first time.
- What can you take from it?
- Some works lose power with repetition.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When does repetition help art?
- How many times should you reread?
Another view
Some books benefit from repeated reading.
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