What breaks the enchantment?

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by HerenIstarion

There is a baggage. In both minds too. Allusions won't work without one, would they? It is when baggages Author (unconsciously, or 'consciously so in the revision') and Reader (unconsciouly, 'reading for pleasure' (Thanks, Lal!), or consciously, 'reading for purpose' put in the lobby together and find them alike additional ties may arise. 'Look, your suitcase is made of leather, and mine too! Yes, I've bought it at Jimmy's! As well as I did, it seems... I've paid five pounds! See, mine is bigger a bit, it cost me 10...'
Automatically, Author and Reader have something to be friends about.

But friendship may form, and may form not a part of Love. If it does, it adds up to the pleasure, but it is not necessary for Friendship to be there at all.

Love (of Reader towards the Author's work) may occur even if Author's baggage is posh crocodile leather, and Reader brings in woven basket (or vice versa). There is no possibility for one of them of not having a baggage at all, unless the Reader is not born that very day, already literate, but knowing nothing and learning basic concepts of life through the book of the Author, which would have to be Reader's first source of information about the world, general.

And Love, if it is a True Love ('reading on purpose' excluded), may suspend disbelief better than anything else. Hence the enchantement.

Side effects (Besides the suspense of disbelief) - Love urges us to Protect the beloved (how dare them dumb critics say Tolkien ain't great writer!), urges us to Need the beloved (and constantly be lured to read and reread the books), urges us to Admire the beloved and do things for her (per instance, write fan-fiction, play RPG, read out long homilies about love...) and form new friendships sharing our admiration on this here forum, among other places.

But we all are mortal Fallen men. We may get angry with the beloved at times, there may be misunderstandings, misinterpretations and irritation. Alas for both Author and Reader.

My dear HerenIstarion, your eloquence on the part of the ineffable enchantment of love in reading is delightful, but perhaps you have inadvertently provided some explanation of where the fit might not be 'one size fits all'. (Psst, the English is not "suspence of disbelief"--sadly, as your phrase is quite wonderful in itself-- but "suspension of belief")

Is the text, the beloved, always "she"? Must the reader always assume a (typically) Male posture towards "her"? Is cross-dressing to be allowed?

EDIT: the correct phrase is 'willing suspension of disbelief'