Rollercoaster in Disguise

Gutenberg Elegies: A Rollercoaster in Disguise

Having spent the last two months in a constant state of indecision I think I am finally at peace. However, my reason for feeling this way is far from what most people would think, myself included. To say the least, the Gutenberg Elegies were somewhat like a roller coaster ride for me. In fact, I believe that is the most accurate description of the experiences I shared with my class as well as the book itself. Like most roller coasters, my ride with the Elegies started off with a lot of apprehension and general feeling of not wanting to continue. Things got worse as we figuratively climbed closer to the initial peak and that’s when things first started to change. “The Paper Chase”, had the most profound effect on me. Looking back on it now I realize that Sven took the road very few people have/will ever take. By voicing his concerns, while risking the label of a pretentious literati, Birkert’s was able to show me how much he truly cares about literature. Thus, providing a stronger argument than any statistics could provide. “The Paper Chase” made me aware of this because the stories of his childhood were able to tear down the wall I had build up based on premature judgment; a wall that had prevented me from thinking clearly and objectively on what had been presented already. The ride only seemed to get better as it went on, and I even found myself in full agreement with Birkerts at times. Which took a lot considering how I felt about him after reading the prefaces.

One chapter in which I very much agreed with Birkerts in was, “the Woman in the Garden.” I believe it had a bigger impact on me due to my long term love of reading, yet mild loathing of writing. I knew immediately what he meant when he said, “the readers state” and thinking about technology robbing us of this experience I became very much a supporter of Birkerts argument.

However, as we all know, roller coasters always leave one last obstacle for the end and that remained true for this figurative journey. “Perseus Unbound” is the chapter in which Birkerts discussions impacts on education, and his views of a watered down system clashed heavily with mine. He refers to the effect of increased information as, “an expansion of the short-term memory banks and a correlative atrophying of long-term memory.”(139, Perseus Unbound) Having personally benefitted from various technological training tools I became defensive again. Ultimately, upon reflecting I realized I partially misinterpreted the points he was trying to relay and as a result finished the book knowing my analysis was as unbiased as possible

While The Gutenberg Elegies may not change society as a whole, it had a profound effect on me personally. I feel a sense of enlightenment knowing that I will no longer accept all technology as good, but rather weigh the costs and rewards. In doing so, I will be able to keep up with the rest of society, but not lose sight of the true purpose behind literature.

Welcome to the Digital Age

After solely reading your prefaces this, I can tell you that our opinions on your sanity were mixed. But after carefully reading the rest of the book, I found that your prefaces’ usage makes sense and that you are actually a master at your craft. You presented some of the most startling points in the book early on then masterfully made us, the readers, find out where you are coming from and showed us well supported facts that led to the whole concept of the elegies.

The first time I identified myself with you was when I found out you went to the University of Michigan about the same time as my father did. Often when I thought of the reading processes that are now obsolete, I would think and sometimes ask what my Dad, who is an English major, needed to do in an English class when he attended school in the early 1970s. He told me that it was far more in depth. Meaning that things would take longer than they do now.

We have truly “abruptly replaced our time-honored and slow-to-evolve modes of communication and interaction with new modes”(pg. 29). Many people see the down sides to this transition. We often lose “true” reading when interacting with a computer screen rather than printed script and this is where I can see your most valid point. In “The Shadow Life of Reading” you give us a new way to think about reading or maybe just show us processes of reading that we have never thought of before. After gaining an idea of what reading actually entails, I am able to confidently say that the transition to a digital age will change the way we perceive literary works. Whether this transition will be destructive to literature or not is what I questioned.

You say that, “the act [reading] only begins with the active deciphering of the symbols”(pg. 96). While it is hard to argue that this is how vivid descriptions get processes in our brain, I believe that often the process ends there. As a college student in the pre-medical program, I do not always see “reading” as a process. With subjects like science, math, and practical business, reading turns into a chore. When I read given material in these subjects I simply find the lesions and key points that the written work is trying to put across. That is why I see a new form of reading.

To me, the new form of reading revolves around ease of use. There is no question that this is where literature is headed. Currently, about 6 million E-Readers have been sold to Americans; opening a world of books at the tap of a screen. As a practical science man, I am thrilled to see this new technology making books easier to access. That is why I need to ask: How does this transition into an electronic era affect the non-literati? Looking back at my novel reading career (if you can call it that) I just do not think my thoughts on the material would change if they were not presented in a book-form. Call me a cynic of my class, but I believe that the electronic age is simply inevitable. Rather than trying to shed light on the processes that it eliminates, we must see what new things this opens up and perhaps learn to cope with different forums for literature.

Birkerts Warning

 In The Gutenberg Elegies by Sven Birkerts, his entire argument is based on the effects of technology and coming into this new age or millennium of technology and the consequences of this. Birkerts argues that technology will come to affect the humanistic relationship with literature. On a personal level I have felt these effects on numerous occasions. I found it very difficult reading this literature and connecting with it. Is it that I am now becoming disengaged with literature due to the fact that I am engaged with technology on what I would consider an extreme level?  I am always facebooking friends, text messaging, emailing, skyping (online video chatting) as well as incorporating other forms of technology into my daily life. Birkets’s literature was hard to follow at times and when I actually became engaged with the argument I would often ask myself: Am I feeling these side-effects of technology at such an early stage? Is the consequences Birkerts warned society about taking effect on me? For instance, in “The Shadow Life of Reading” Birkerts states that “The Words on the page don’t change, but we do, and our “reading”-the experience we had over the duration of our encounter with the book- has the plasticity of any memory” (p.96). I am afraid that my reading experience has transformed into something that I may not particularly favor. Birkets’s literature was not in fact difficult literature it was just harder for me as a reader to become involved with it.  Also, In “The Shadow Life of Reading” he goes on to state “For reading is a conversion, a turning of codes into contents” (p.97). Is it that my mental conversion tools have been weakened by the lustrous glow of the monitor on my Mac book pro? Whatever the cause may be I admit to missing the amount of time I use to spend reading and the amount of time I use to spend being creative.

The warnings throughout The Gutenberg Elegies scare me due to the fact that technology is already playing its role into my daily life. I could not even imagine myself performing at a sufficient or necessary rate without it. I have placed all emphasis pertaining to both my academic and social life on the shoulders of technological advancements. During the course of our class my English professor challenged our class to go a day without technology including cellular devices, laptop/computer, etc. This had to be one of the most difficult situations I have ever faced in my life, without technology I felt worthless, I felt so disconnected from the world to the point where I anxiously waited until midnight to be reunited with “my life”. The only thing I can do is expect that the outcome of this heavy reliance on technology and being brought in the digital age will bare heavy consequences on not only me individually but also the society that I live in.

Ultimately I believe that literature is not dead but it is in fact being neglected and dying. The relationship society once had with literature has been neglected to move with the rate of technology.  Society once moved at a slow pace and now humans are trying to move at the rapid pace of technology and somewhere down the line we will have to face these consequences. I believe that this book serves as a warning to these consequences daring society to “Refuse-it” Coda (p.229).

What Does It Feel Like To Be In The Midst Of a Revolution

A good book will leave the reader in a different state at the end. A good book has the potential to control its audience’s actions and sway their opinions. After reading your book not only was I left mesmerized at the end by the ignorance of are people but my position completely changed from start to finish. After our class read the prefaces, Rebecca asked us to show by a show of hands who agreed with you and who disagreed. The results were nearly unanimous, in the beginning everyone took the position against you, besides me, I was on the fence understanding your points but unsure of which side I agreed with more. So many people took this position because in the start of the book it almost seemed like you never gave technology a try. Also it seemed as if many of my classmates, including myself, were turned off by your sophisticated style of writing, it was hard for us to agree with you when we did not understand much of what we read. I believe if you put your arguments in simpler terms many kids would be able to side with you. After all that sophistication is what many young kids fear of books, they are scared to be challenged and therefore are deterred from reading. What helped me to agree with your argument was that the book was published in 2004, if you thought this way 6 years ago, surely you must feel stronger about your position now. Technology advances more and more every day, we have made huge strides since 2004, and certainly this must help your argument.

I was most impressed with how you explained that we are in the midst of a revolution. I could not agree more with when you said, “ we are in the midst of an epoch-making transition; this is the societal shift from print-based to electronic communications,” (The Death of Literature, 192). Our Generation is an era defined by technology. We are always looking for the newest and next best thing. Our obsession with technology has become a dependence. It is almost impossible to live without a cell phone or e-mail today. We are focused on learning more and more information instead of focusing and understanding small pieces at a time. Our learning and reading styles have definitely changed, as you summarized Robert Darnton, “ From the Middle Ages until sometime after 1750, according to Engelsing, men read “intensively.”… By 1800 men were reading “extensively” ,“ (The Owl Has Flown, 71). We can say the same for learning; we are now more focused on learning more and more information instead of comprehending little pieces at a time.

As I read your book more I realized that my perception has changed greatly. I found myself taking your side more and more with each chapter that I read. I found it easiest to side with you when you used more emotion and explained your biggest fears as a result of the transformation we are going through. All in all, after I read the entire book , I was really able to appreciate your work. I feel you have to read the whole book, no matter how challenging it may be, to understand your fears and pessimism. Thank you in advance for your time and the lessons I’ve learned from The Gutenberg Elegies.

Rebelling Against a Revolution

Like a successful author and critic, you forced me to question myself, my past experiences, and my views about technology. The act of reading deepens self understanding, and that you will be changed by what you read. The act of reading plays a vital role in the way people respond to things in the world. It was very interesting when you discussed the difference between the world of novels and the real world; in novels, everything happens for a reason and everything has a purpose, whereas events that happen in our lives often appear completely random. I often find that I relate to characters in novels I read. You provided me with the reason why this is; we have to use our experience to create the character’s experience. We assemble the character from ourselves. In order to do that, we have to suspend ourselves and leave room for the author’s creation.

We are charging forward in some kind of technological race, unaware if there could be any unnecessary or harmful consequences of new inventions. We assume that every new Apple product is a necessity, so we wait for hours in long lines to get the iPhone 4. We have little time to reflect on our lives and to think.

We spend less time reading, thinking, and daydreaming. We are consumed by technology. We read bits of headlines on online newspapers and we skim. We don’t just pick up a book, or now, a Kindle for pleasure; we read for snippets of information and to direct us to different sources of information. We have become vacuums of data. It is comforting to know that you feel the same way.

Literature is going to face new challenges, however, I believe great literature will always have an audience among the most educated in society and there will always be people dedicated to the craft of writing.

As my final years of high school passed, I began to notice that supervisors of many departments pressured teachers to incorporate more technology into the classroom whether it be videos, YouTube clips, or using “SMART Boards.” Education is beginning to resemble entertainment.

As a visual artist, I feel a similar pressure to utilize digital media and to abandon traditional forms such as drawing and painting. I want to hold onto the past and help keep those older traditions alive. I also recognize that there is no turning back. I must learn to integrate these new techniques with techniques passed down by the masters from centuries past.

After reading The Gutenberg Elegies, I am more conscious of how technology endangers the patience and depth required of the most intensive forms of literary creation like the novel. Similarly, our experience of our inner lives can be disrupted and altered by the frenzied pace of contemporary life. I will try to be less dependent on technology, use snail mail less often, perhaps send a few love letters. I mustn’t feel forced by society to participate in this revolution.

The Bookshelf

I’ve always been an avid reader of books. My parents have an entire wall in their bedroom dedicated to books. As a child, I was in awe of the many different books, each with uniquely colored binding and a loopy or block-style font. I longed for the day when I would be able to pick up the book and read the black and white print inside. Until then, I admired the colorful pictures and interesting colors. Each page had a musky scent, a secret structure. It was a mystery to me, but I was fascinated by it, nonetheless.

As I got older, reading became a concrete part of my life. I would read one book after another, fascinated by stories, always having images in my head as interpretations of my own. I would read anything from science fiction to non-fiction. I loved to read girly books and serious classics. There was nothing I wouldn’t read. As I got older, my mother and I would share books. Every time I suggested a new book for her, I would get the honor of adding it to the bookshelf in their bedroom.

The reason I share my personal experience with books is to show you how much I appreciate what you have done. It seems that the age of technology is being glorified for its “green” benefits and its easy use, but no one seems to recognize the negative aspects, such as the loss of tradition, the straining of eyes, and the movement towards a visual book.

When I first started to read The Gutenberg Elegies, your prologue, and beginning chapters turned me off. I thought they were harsh and overly dramatic, and I couldn’t see why it was necessary for me to read with a dictionary on the table next to me so I could look up the numerous words I didn’t understand. I was frustrated. Your references made no sense to me, for I had never read or heard of most of things you mentioned, and I was unclear what your motive was—did you have a point, or were you simply a frustrated artist?

It was your chapter, “The Woman in the Garden” that really caught my eye in the end. You wrote:

What reading does, ultimately, is keep alive the dangerous and exhilarating idea that a life is not a sequence of lived moments, but a destiny. That God, or no God, life has a unitary pattern inscribed within it, a pattern that we could discern for ourselves if we could somehow lay the whole of our experience out like a map. (85)

It was that quote, and many others like it, that brought me to a sense of awareness. I realize now that I need to continue the tradition of reading and collecting books. I need to sit down with my children and show them the beauty of a storybook, and read them novels so that the characters can engross them. And then, perhaps, one day, they will stand in my bedroom, and gaze at the wall-to-wall bookshelf in awe.

Choosing To Be Blindfolded

Technology has bad effects we people choose to ignore. Birkerts does not want people to stop using technology. He just wants people to realize that humans made technology for certain purposes, technology did not make people. But the real question is how much will it change people's future after they know realize how much technology is affecting them. Will people try to change this or will they keep on going like nothing happened?

"When everything is happening everywhere, it gets harder to care about anything."(Birkerts, 73)  This is a reference to the bad effects of technology. For example, downloading music and movies is illegal because they are copyrighted items, but now it happens so much that no one cares that they are violating laws. This is how much human nature has changed over the years.  People know what is right and wrong but they are choosing to be blindfolded. Before, we used to work hard to do something, but now with technology, we have decreased our work time, but also decreased quality. When using a search engine on the Internet, we only look for specific facts and overlook other information that we do not know but could be useful. We know we can get more and better information using a reference book, but we still use Internet because it has less work to input. We choose the easy way out by not aiming for an A, but hoping for a B.
One of my favorite quotes is "in time-- I don't know how long it will take- -it will feel as strange (and exhilarating) for a person to stand momentarily free of it as it feels now for a city dweller to look up at night and see a sky full of stars," (Birkerts, 224). I like this because I can relate to both sides. A starry sky is always there but a city dwellers cannot see it because he does not pay close attention to it. In the same way, technology will become so big a part of our life that we will not notice. We will see technology with actually seeing it  and its effects. It will become an involuntary gesture to use technology. I was once a "city dweller" who could not see the stars, but knew they existed. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew what was going on and could see the changes but I never bothered to pay attention to it.  Birkerts thinks that is where we are headed as we already value things like Internet, cell phones, etc. above everything. People commonly say "I cannot live without my cellphone." That hints that Birkerts is right in his assumption of the future.This book does not tell kids to stop using technology but to see the changes technology is making and to keep old things like books around. People might argue that technology has positive effects, but no one can deny the negative effects of it also.