Tuesday, April 25, 2017

week 16 : the future of the book

Ursula K. Le Guin makes a good point that there was never a time when everyone read books, and there's no reason to expect everyone to start reading books today. The 'century of the book' understandably came to a close, it seems, as stories and entertainment began to take on new forms in television and movies. I like how Le Guin frames reading and watching TV or movies as both private individual and shared social experiences. With the increased popularity of Netflix and other online streaming sites, television and movies have acquired the potential to become private experiences, more similar to reading than even ten years ago when college students would crowd around one person's TV on Thursday nights at 8PM to watch the newest episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Thinking about the staying power of reading (especially in comparison to television and movies), I've noticed that people still carry a 'moralizing tone' when they talk about the amount of reading that they do (or don't do). Many people seem to feel ashamed for having read less than 'they should,' and, similarly, many people seem to feel ashamed for watching Netflix more than 'they should.' My own experience echoes these common sentiments; I often feel proud of myself for reading (as opposed to watching TV or aimlessly surfing the internet), and surely that feeling is rooted in a lifetime of being taught that reading is 'good' and 'productive.' For better or worse, I suspect that this perceived morality of reading will continue to pull some people towards reading, at least some of the time. I guess there's a lot more to say on this topic, but this was where my mind went!








4 comments:

  1. I like your perspective on reading. There can seem to be a sense of snobbery for people who read more and shame for people who read less, which I will never understand. My SO is dyslexic, so of course he isn't going to sit around for hours reading because it is very frustrating for him, yet he still feels shame. I hope that reading becomes less of a "moral" issue down the road.

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  2. You make an interesting point about the morality of reading. I've never considered this before, but I agree that people seem to feel put down about not reading.

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  3. Interesting post! I need to check out this author, Ursula K. LeGuin. I have never heard of her before your post. Also the concept of "moralizing" when discussing the amount of reading a person does or doesn't do. It makes me think about the demographics of people who feel shame as opposed to those that don't care? Will this shame make someone actually read? If so, how much? This point who make a great PHD research paper. Thanks for a really thought provoking post.

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  4. Wonderful final response! Full points!

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