Some people are receptive to certain kinds of phantom endings. Perhaps if a reader has experienced some kind of insult in real life, and they see a character commit the same action... even if other readers don't see what's insulting, that reader will expect some kind of reparation or repercussion for that insult. And often it's not an issue they're aware of -- twinges like a phantom limb.
I had this happen to me recently with a friend. I saw a complete and liberating ending to Spirited Away, and she saw a story that was inherently unfinished and unfair. It affected us both profoundly, just in opposite directions.
Readers won't come to the table with the same experience/knowledge set. Some people will have a limb there, some people wouldn't even miss it.
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Date: 2005-03-15 04:51 am (UTC)I had this happen to me recently with a friend. I saw a complete and liberating ending to Spirited Away, and she saw a story that was inherently unfinished and unfair. It affected us both profoundly, just in opposite directions.
Readers won't come to the table with the same experience/knowledge set. Some people will have a limb there, some people wouldn't even miss it.