It happens, perhaps not for everyone, but it happens. Sometimes they don't even realize it until it's thrown in their face. It happened to me and I know I'm not alone.
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I don't remember ANYBODY in -for instance- William Gibson-Books
to read at all...John Brunner, P.K.Dick...nobody in those SF-Novels
reads anything but screens. Well, there you have it.
I'd suggest that the type of books you read, if you read at all will be very much defined by your position in society. It's already visible today even among the youth, literary classics will be reserved for the 'intellectuals' so to say who may dable in modern literature depending on their inclinations but will ultimately snubb it in favour of literature from aprox. 1860-1960 with some exceptions of course. Then you'll have those that read a combination of dodgy classics (a la Jane Austen) with current literature being the educated but not necessarily particularly intelligent individual. Next you have the average joe of reading who mostly goes for murder myseries and some 'literature' but really not much at all. Then you have those that read shoddy current novels. Then you have those that read nothing but porn. Lastly, you get those who don't read at all. Of course though people will skip from one group to the other every so often (we all need a little porn sometimes) but I'd say it's pretty fixed.
The problem with wannabe technologists is that they put others industries out of a job whilst they ponder on computer screens that are highly deffective for memory and eyesight long term.
The fact of the matter is tablets and iphones aim is to rid language and money printed on paper as a something of futiuristic garbbage.
It also rids paper making books bookshops printers all out of a job and affect real cash in hand too.
This type of short sighted technology increases illiteracy because many people I know dislike reading off a screen which will then discourage them from reading all together the same goes to handwriting which is now being replaced by a touch screen.
Numeracy will be on the decline because with plastic money that you never get to see or handle one is soon out of touch with number counting and adding and mental arithmetic is out of the door.
I predict a very declining illiterate and shortsighted (where is Specs Severs' gone!!) population iof the future.
Rather blasphesmist if you ask me.
1.It's already visible today even among the youth, literary classics will be reserved for the 'intellectuals' so to say who may dable in modern literature depending on their inclinations but will ultimately snubb it in favour of literature from aprox. 1860-1960 with some exceptions of course.
2.Then you'll have those that read a combination of dodgy classics (a la Jane Austen) with current literature being the educated but not necessarily particularly intelligent individual
3.Next you have the average joe of reading who mostly goes for murder myseries and some 'literature' but really not much at all.
4.Then you have those that read shoddy current novels.
5.Then you have those that read nothing but porn.
6.Lastly, you get those who don't read at all
7.Of course though people will skip from one group to the other every so often (we all need a little porn sometimes) but I'd say it's pretty fixed
I put the 7th Point in, so that the Sins and Samurais are complete
That's one cool List.:thumbs_up
I'd hardly think reading work from earlier years to be a show of intellect. That's somewhat insulting to writers of today as well. And a lot of older work is crap too.
Handmaid's Tale is incredibly boring, no matter how famous it is or good it could have been. It somehow takes a good idea and makes it a drag. Shakespeare is overrated. As well are a lot of the older writers.
There is plenty of crap out now too of course. But you didn't have to be born in the 1800's to 1960 to be a great writer. Nor do you have to have a greater liking to the works of those years to be smart.
All work, of all years is relevant. Bad writing is bad writing, there is nothing more to it then that. Reading and writing aren't the same task either. You can be influenced by something you read (as well other mediums) but it's not likely going to decide the whole of how you write. You can't have reading without the writers.
I will support the idea of a link between literature and intellect. But the genre, year or other insignificant matters just doesn't decide how good the work is. People might think it makes them classy and sharp to have an obsession with classic work, but it doesn't mean jack. Those who think so likely aren't that bright themselves.
And even worse, if that did happen. That is death of literature as an art. And that won't happen, because we will always exist.
The academic world is a joke, the way they handle, propose and view the act of learning is an insult to the experience. So I wouldn't be surprised if some people got the impression that literature is some weird kind of history lesson, and act like they are brilliant by discussing the souls and meanings of lines written before they were born (when in reality the line probably meant what the line said). But that doesn't actually make them anything, but easy to laugh at.
I wish the Future of Literature to be Virtual Reality Devices.
You buy that Device for the Book of your choice and the VR
enables you to follow the Story from inside the Story.
Two kinds: The guided Tour or the "Adventure-Version" for
hearty individuals.
Imagine: The Gouilotine-Scene near the end of "The Tale of two Cities". Heads will role and you're in the middle of the Crowd...creepy. Or you and Carnacki the Ghostfinder are on tour together. Not to speak of Dracula and so on...oh Dear, oh Dear.
Now I gotta dash down to the Copyright-Office to put in a claim.
They could act as other steroetypes such as oracles or consciences, be vehicles for disembodied spirits or a God, of provide portals into other realms and worlds. Or they could just be characters seen purely via their phone. A short story using text chat will probably have been done - e-mails too, but skype, facebook or a forum like this could add another dimension to a story.
Loads a scope.
That's the kind of thing I was thinking of. As you say with text to speech, you can participate and have the monologue going, or find the next chapter written in interesting places that you have to seek out.
How long is it going to be befoe we get the kind of affordable, immersive virtual reality world which you can control via a glove. Could be pretty good. The environmnts of modern games are very well rendered, and getting bigger. The PS2 Grand Theft Auto San Andreas environment took about 25 minutes to drive/ ride across.
I'd prefer living in my novels of choice instead in this...in this...ok, no cussing.