Print not only demands that the readers read the language and understand its meaning, it also demands that the reader use his mind to reconstruct the characters, actions, feelings, etc. While reading the abstract words on the page, the reader has to imagine what the people look like, what voice they speak with, etc. His mind will be actively involved in interacting with the words. No wonder students are asked by their parents to watch TV for a little while as a rest after they've been reading for some time. A reader is a second worker and constructor.
People say that there are as many characters as readers.
Each reader creates a character in his own mind. So readers discuss the characters' personalities and appearance, since there will be different opinions according to how each reader understands the language. Inasmuch as the understanding of the language differs from person to person, so the perception in their minds also varies. Let's take the character Pan Jinlian from Outlaws on the Marsh for an example. In the novel, she was described as a lascivious girl who seduced other men and killed her husband.