>pick up book
>not sure if I should suffer through the introduction or not
>>8155227
I prefer reading it after reading the book. It often poses interesting views, but they tend to give away half the plot as well. And you can only really appreciate the views after having read the book yourself first.
>>8155262
>Detective stories with spoiler heavy introductions
>>8155227
>pick up book
>the author of the introduction is monstrously biased and completely misunderstands the author/book whose introduction they're writing
This happened to me with every single Nietzsche/Schopenhauer book.
>pick up a book
>foreward by michel foucault
EVERY FUCKING TIME
>>8155227
Rule of thumb is if it's not by the author himself, I don't read it or read it afterwards.
If you consider supplementary reading to be "suffering" than this isn't the hobby for you.
>>8155227
>Keat's Complete Poems
>80-page introduction
Fuck off.
Usually an introduction will, even if accidentally, spoil you something from the book or tell you what you should think or feel about it.
I nowadays read introductions after the book or not at all.
>>8155262
I avoid them not because of plot spoilers, but because they also direct you into a certain reading of the book. Even if you try to avoid that it inevitably happens because you're now consciously trying not to.
I don't read them because I'm a story cuck and only read for the authors views
