Quote:
Originally Posted by DiapDealer
I really don't get why people think " could be read alone" is somehow synonymous with " should (or was intended to) be read alone!" Or that "could be read alone" is even in any way objectively defined for all readers. 
No two readers' coulds are the same. So such a statement is fairly unhelpful. |
To me (particularly with Cin's example) "
could be read alone" implies that the first book was a true stand alone that only later had sequels tacked on when the author needed to remodel their house or send their kid to a fancier school.
Psycho could (and should) be read alone. Does the fact that a quarter of a century later Bloch decided to write a couple of sequels then make Psycho a series?
Is Gone With the Wind now 'self contained' rather than 'stand alone'?