Quote by C.S. Lewis

In the only sense that matters the surprise works as well the twentieth time as the first. It is the quality of unexpectedness, not the fact that delights us. It is even better the second time. Knowing that the 'surprise' is coming we can now fully relish the fact that this path through the shrubbery doesn't look as if it were suddenly going to bring us out on the edge of the cliff. So in literature. We do not enjoy a story fully at the first reading. Not till the curiosity, the sheer narrative lust, has been given its sop and laid asleep, are we are leisure to savour the real beauties. Till then, it is like wasting great wine on a ravenous natural thirst which merely wants cold wetness. The children understand this well when they ask for the same story over and over again, and in the same words. They want to have again the 'surprise' of discovering that what seemed Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother is really the wolf. It is better when you know it is coming: free from the shock of actual surprise you can attend better to the intrinsic surprisingness of the peripeteia.

Summary

This quote by C.S. Lewis highlights the idea that surprises, or unexpected events, in literature can be appreciated even after multiple readings. It suggests that the element of surprise adds value to a story, but it is the quality of unexpectedness itself that delights us, rather than the mere fact of being surprised. After experiencing the initial shock of a surprise, readers can fully relish the beauty of the narrative. The quote also references how children repeatedly request the same story because they enjoy rediscovering the surprises within it, emphasizing the notion that knowing the surprise in advance can enhance our appreciation of its underlying intrigue.