Reader Contract & PromiseAdvanced
Horizon of Expectation
The set of assumptions a reader brings from genre, culture, prior books, and presentation.
Principle
A reader never arrives empty-handed.
Takeaways
- Expectations come from genre, series memory, marketing, reputation, and cultural literacy.
- The text can fulfil, revise, frustrate, or exploit that horizon.
- Surprise works best against an understood expectation field.
Overview
Horizon of expectation is a reception concept for the reader's anticipatory frame. It explains why the same plot event can feel satisfying, shocking, dull, or unfair depending on the expectations the work and its context have activated.
Examples
- A reader of tragedy expects consequence even before knowing the specific error.
- Book two of a series can rely on knowledge book one already installed.