I have been commenting on the four differences C.S. Lewis finds between literary readers (the few) and casual readers (the many), as explained early in his book An Experiment in Criticism. Today let's look at the third of these.
The first reading of some books — and Lewis has already pointed out that most readers don't do second readings — can to some be "an experience so momentous that only experiences of love, religion, or bereavement can furnish a standard of comparison." Lewis goes on, "Their whole consciousness is changed. They have become what they were not before."
Such experiences rarely happen to most readers. A book may give momentary excitement, momentary pleasure, but is soon forgotten. The book probably isn't going to alter the reader's view of anything.
I think this may have a lot to do with the kinds of books people read. If you favor thrillers, murder mysteries or love stories, you are unlikely to ever find a book that will shake your world. There are exceptions, but not that many. More challenging books, read by more literary readers, are more likely to challenge us, more likely to open up new vistas to us.
Another factor, I think, is the age of the reader. Books we encounter in our youth, say from early teens to mid-20s, are more likely to profoundly impact our view of the world than those we read later in life. It is during this period that we are more likely to discover To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, The Book Thief and a number of other such books. For me, it was Franny and Zooey and several books by C.S. Lewis himself that upended my world while I was in college.
To discover such a book later in life is a rare blessing indeed. Something enjoyed only by the very few.
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