Not "Paper or plastic?" but "digital or print?" we ask - speaking of books as groceries, goods we might pick up while waiting in the checkout isle. The question, not its silly answer, reveals our misplaced fear that technology will delete literature. But by lamp or candlelight, we will resist the burnout of reading. So hand me that stash of books and pass me a light.
"The book is dead" pronounce the new-age Nietzsches - and their books may catalyze their prophecy. All dog-eared discussions about books are twisted. Those who write about books obviously find writing and books important. By definition, any apathy about reading is immeasurable: people who truly do not care would not answer any survey.
The case, it appears, rests on familiar accusations. Our generation faces the usual charges: Technology freezes our attention span, texting leaves us illiterate, and we seek to replace poetry with twitter. Some doubt if we can even finish a book. "Destructive cultural trends" writes Carlin Romano, "lurk behind the decline of readerly ambitions and student stamina." The fact that I could barely get through his article - Will the Book Survive Generation Text? - was not for any of the potential reasons Romano specified.
In contrast to other artistic forms, literature has struggled to fit in with the accessible entertainment marketplace. "Reading a book, however, requires concentration, endurance, the ability to disconnect from other connections" notes Romano. This inability to assimilate will not erase our books, but instead ensure their longevity. Music, movies, news, and television can be trimmed and highlighted, streamed for immediate pleasure. If we read novels for information alone, then books could be substituted. But the stimulation of reading cannot be simulated.
For many, engaging a scripture is a religious experience. Having recently come out as an English major ('but you always liked science!'), I enjoy reading so much that I can hardly read. I glance at the cover and am already in ecstasy. There's an epiphany on the second page. After a chapter, I can't go on.
The forecasting about books is clouded because the act of reading is difficult to articulate. For an external observer, there is no difference between reading and non-reading. Imagine a student who just read SparkNotes and another who read the entire text. Both know all the characters, have memorized the plot, and get As on their Crime and Punishment
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