Are plot twists just cheap parlor tricks to keep plebs entertained?

>>9312568
Yes. Yes.

>>9312568
The Portrait of a Lady

>>9312568
The whole appeal of a plot twist is that it's mentally stimulating. A good plot twist takes information and events from throughout the story that you thought you understood and recontextualizes them all at once so they make even more sense than they did originally. In other words, it's based on the thrill of learning and discovering new things. I also wouldn't call them cheap since they're difficult to write well. You have to hit a perfect balance between plausibility and unpredictability. You have to leave the reader saying "Of course, I should have known!" without actually making it obvious enough for many readers to get it in advance of the reveal.

No. Good books are unspoilable.

>>9312667
Depends on your definition of spoilable.

>>9312674
Absorbing the information outside of the order it is presented within the book being detrimental to the experience.

>>9312696
Then yes, I agree. If your entire book is banking on the plot twist, it's either a mystery or shit.

>>9312696
A plot twist can be enjoyed even if it is spoiled. There was actually a study on this that used The Bet by Checkov.

>>9312701
>it's either a mystery or shit.
so it's shit

>>9312701
But if a mystery is made in such a way that every piece of information is important, then the last piece of information you learn, even if it's not the last piece presented in the storyline, is still a "plot twist".

>>9312578
Does she turn out to be a dude?

>>9312568
Nabokov's Despair is largely built on a plot twist but it was excellent. I imagine it would still be enjoyable knowing the twist, can't be sure though.