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.

From book to screen

After reading The Gutenberg Elegies, my views and initial thoughts regarding the role that technology plays in our society definitely changed. My initial reaction to the preface and first couple of excerpts was one of disagreement. I felt that Birkert’s criticism was overstated and exaggerated. Yet, as I read more into the book, I was able to better understand Birkert’s perspective and by the books end, I found myself in agreement with many of his views.

In the excerpt, "The Owl Has Flown", Birkerts suggests that the depth of our resonance and wisdom is deteriorating. He expresses a sense of disappointment in our culture because we no longer study with the same intensity and profundity that people in past generations used to study with. People nowadays, quickly skim and read information because they have lost the drive and motivation to study in depth. This is mainly because of the many resources that technology has presented us with, chiefly the Internet. The Internet provides us with quick and easy access to a wide collection of information. People have become accustomed to skimming and reading texts solely for a particular answer. As a result, we are losing depth because we are reading less and relying more on the technology to do the hard work for us.

While looking up an answer on the Internet may seem harmless, in the long run this actually hurt us. In the excerpt, “The Death of Literature,” Birkerts explains why literature has been depreciated as a result of technology. The text reads,“/the author, once the fount of imagination, has been demoted, divested of authority, the historical tradition/ is being disintegrated “ (184). There was once a time when books were a form of art and tradition. Nowadays, “literature and the humane values we associate with it have been depreciated, reincarnated in debased form” (184). I agree that literature has lost some of its lust and true form. It has been changed into a subject that no longer has much meaning and appreciation; in Birkerts mind, “ it has been rendered safely nostalgically irrelevant” (184).

Even with all of the resources and technologies we have today, it is important that we do not grow dependent on them. We still need to be able to read and take information from print, despite the fact that technology can easily find answers for us. The act of physically “doing” is more valuable than just having answers spoon-fed to us. Society has also undergone a shift from the world of print to one immersed with technology. This transition, however, has not come without concerns. Though it may not seem like it, we are living in a state of intellectual emergency. If we continue to allow technology to dictate our lives, we may well see and witness “the death of literature.” Fortunately, we can still change and prevent our full transition from book to screen. The Gutenberg Elegies has made me think twice about the ways I use and employ technology in my daily life; it was a wake up call.

Letter to Sven Birkerts

Dear Mr. Birkerts,

The Gutenberg Elegies, captures your emotion, an overwhelmed bystander of this technologically advancing society, in a unique and affective way. It is true to say that if we were to keep excelling at the rate we are now, a lot of the charm would be stripped out of what used to be exciting to us. Each piece of technology we utilize is just one branch of the flourishing tree of technology. The stepping-stones that helped to get us where we are today are being long forgotten and dropped like a leaf from this tree of technology.

I realized, through the readings, your worries are not only broad, but also concerning in certain aspects of what once made the simple action of reading so appealing. I agree with your argument and concern on this topic. The magic of being at one with a story is completely forgotten when attempting to find a connection with a screen of pixels. "For opacity they substitute transparency, promoting the illusion of access. All that has been said, known, and done will yield to the dance of fingertips on terminal keys. Space becomes hyperspace, and time, hypertime. One gathers the data of otherness, but through a medium which seems to level the feel - the truth - of that otherness (Birkerts 137)." The physicality of finding a comfortable place without technology surrounding oneself, causes a special connection with an already tangible, separate, item than one is uses to chat, check e-mail, and entertain oneself. This causes the experience to be a little more special and different than every other action of one's daily life. The most important part of reading and comprehending is finding that connection. For me, it is extremely important to be able to underline, highlight, imagine where in the book each event occurred to retain the information. Although we have technology such as the Perseus 1.0 capable of holding "the equivalent of 25 volumes of ancient literature by ten authors (1 million Greek words), roughly 4,000 glosses in the on-line classical encyclopedia, and a 35,000-word on-line Greek lexicon (Birkerts 314-135)," we do not have to depend solely on the newest piece of technology to keep us learning.

Although to many, including myself at first, you came off pessimistic and, for lack of a better word, dramatic in the beginning, you were much easier to connect with and understand as his book progressed, “These are, in some ways, pessimistic perspectives. Pessimistic, certainly, if we measure the state of things according to the old humanist assumptions about the sovereignty of the individual. These essays are extrapolations, predictions, warnings. But they are counterbalanced – not refuted, alas – by a number of pieces that were written in a spirit of celebration (Birkerts 6).” I now realize that your intentions are not to accuse, necessarily, everyone who owns a cell phone, computer, iPod, or television; you are simply opening the readers’ eyes to what may be overlooked from time to time, and expressing concern for the future. It was a pleasure reading your book!

The Power of Books

After reading The Gutenberg Elegies, I have more of an understanding about the impacts of technology on society, and how it is slowly but steadily displacing the written word. We are living in a world today that is much different from the world of several decades ago, and it takes a lot to adjust to and keep up with modern ways of life. Books are definitely not as valued as they were in the past, but I believe this is because technology is so advanced that people forget about how much books can offer. In my mind, books can provide people with a whole new perspective on life, in which they can sit in a comfortable chair and delve into the world of others. Books can make people feel like they are inside the other character’s minds, a feeling that can never be taken away from literature, no matter how “dead” it may be. There might be a big shift due to the bombardment of technology, but people will always remember the value that books have and the good things that people acquire from reading. Although I have never been very big in to reading, I respect the people who take great pleasure in sitting with a book in lap.

Birkerts explains that the key concept behind reading revolves around one concept: wisdom. In “The Owl Has Flown,” he describes wisdom, “not as the gathering or organizing of facts,” but as, “seeing through facts,” (75). Being able to analyze what we read, not just absorb it, is the most important part of reading. He believes this is a lost art because of the wave of technology that is making us read quickly instead of analytically. This is a very interesting point because many people do their reading on the internet, where they go from one link to the next, and don’t take the time to carefully think about what they read. Wisdom is the underlying force that has the power to help us think the way we did when technology wasn’t such a dominant force in our lives.

After reading the book, I have definitely acquired a new perspective about digital technology. Although I support the advancements that have been made over the past several years, I believe that technology takes a little bit out of the individual. Many people rely on technology too much to give them answers, and they don’t think for themselves and learn their innate abilities. Everyone was born with some sort of talent, and people should have the chance to learn their talents instead of asking technology for the answers first. As I read in the future, I will pay more attention to the deeper meaning in the book rather than simply absorbing the facts. I feel that this is an important thing to do in order to become more intellectual. Although I don’t enjoy reading all of the time, I still understand the power a book has to create a whole new world for people and provide an escape from the real world to the textual world.

Is Literature Being Driven From Our Lives?

After reading The Gutenberg Elegies by Sven Birkerts, my thoughts and ideas were shifted a great deal throughout the book. The novel discussed various aspects of the affect that this electronic era we are living in has on literature. I was born into a time when technology was quite prevalent. It plays a large role in the structure of my life as well as the structure of our world. After reading the introduction only, I thought that this book was going to denounce technology and all of its users. Strong statements such as, “The object you hold, an instance of counter-technology, is built to resist the cataract of distraction engulfing our lives,” caused me to think this way (Birkerts XV). I was put off by statements such as these because all my life I have been a supporter of technology and all it has done. However, as the book continues my opinions began to change.
I was constantly wondering what this strong willed author was trying to say to me. Why was he so harsh on technology? How could technology possibly be a bad thing? However, as I read on and entered in to the central theme of the essays, I began to realize something. This book was not written to attack the existence of technology, rather to preserve the art of literature. As the novel progresses, Birkerts discusses the negative effects the electronics have brought onto reading and writing. The predominant theme of the novel discusses the manner in which humanity obtains knowledge. The ways we find it, the ways we read it, and the ways we understand it have all changed. Birkerts brings about the shift that has occurred in our culture from “intensive” reading to “extensive.” Birkerts tells his readers, “In our culture, access is not the problem but proliferation is” (Birkerts 72). Technology has swept across our world providing almost endless possibilities for knowledge.
Technology has developed a lazy society. For one to achieve any amount of knowledge all one has to do is type in a few key words into any popular search engines such as, “Google” or “Bing.” Years ago, prior to the development of the internet, knowledge required work to be attained. Since it was difficult for a literary work to be copied and spread around, many people read that work intensely and grew a great understanding of it. Nowadays, texts are so readily available that everyone reads such a vast amount of topics that they never truly learn about a topic in depth. Times have changed and the way that technology has developed the art of literature is very ubiquitous.
I never imagined there being anything wrong with what technology was doing to the world. Electronics have always been a part of my life. Ever since I was a child I had a television and a computer. It never occurred to me that this electronic era was replacing the literature era. However, after reading The Gutenberg Elegies, my eyes were opened. I hope that we can claim a realization that technology has a detrimental effect on our lives and that caution needs to be taken in the future.

Gutenberg Elegies Abyss

             “There is no stepping twice into the same river- we know that- and neither is there any returning to the scene of the crime without facing the fact that everything looks conspicuously different.” (Birkerts, xiii). The Gutenberg Elegies at first seems like an ever-lasting battle between reader and writer, but the reader continues on and sees not a chanter of opinions but some one who is forewarning about the dangers of overusing technology. It is almost a parody that I almost read the book for the first time on an Ipdad, as it has many essays that warn against reading from a screen. After reading the book, questions like is our society better or worse off with digital technology arose. The author’s fears of overuse of technology are clearly shown and it bleeds through to the readers. The Gutenberg Elegies is a collection of essays that dives into many problems and possible solutions for today’s society in dealing with technology.
             The Gutenberg Elegies is a piece of literature that elicits questions to any reader who dares to pick it up. After reading Mahvuhhuhpuh I pondered the question, what does reading mean to me? It meant learning, and knowledge to me. But to others it could mean power over others. To the author reading is an adventure, or a second life.
             My views on digital technology changed drastically through out the Gutenberg Elegies. Before purchasing the physical book, I planned on reading it over a digital screen. This would have been a grave mistake that could have affected my interpretation and comprehension of the book. It was talked about much in the book how digital reading is similar to skimming the surface of a book and textual reading is like diving underwater of the Gutenberg Elegies Abyss. I now can fully understand that textual reading dominates digital reading for understanding and interpreting a piece of literature and text.
             My future as a reader and digital technology consumer has been changed since reading the Gutenberg Elegies. For class and for pleasure I now feel the need to have physical copies of texts. I will always try to print out articles assigned in class to further comprehend what I am reading on a deeper level. As a consumer I always enjoyed new gadgets and technology, but since changing my views on digital technology I am unsure of how this will be affected. This book helped me formulate my own opinions on digital technology and reading.
             Reading a physical copy of The Gutenberg Elegies helped me formulate ideas that would have never been possible on a digital screen. The Owl Has Flown ends with “the beauty of the vertical engagement is that it does not have to argue for itself. It is self-contained, a fulfillments” (76). The author closes with this to stress a great appreciation for vertical engagement. Many differences in opinions arose in the beginning of the Guttenberg Elegies for me, but after finishing the book I can see clearly the meaning.


-Ben Sporn

Response to Sven Birkert's The Gutenberg Elegies

Like a M. Night Shyamalan film, scored by Olivier Messiaen, I could never have predicted at the beginning of the book how I would feel at the end, and while I was confused for much of the time I could tell something highly intellectual was going on that was well worth listening to. The language was very sophisticated, making it a difficult read. This plays directly into one of the argument of the text, which suggests that the current way we read maybe lessening our ability to process difficult texts.

Generally, I agreed with the arguments the book set forth. This is easy to do as the arguments themselves, thought they deal with many intangible elements, appear so self-evident when put into print that it is hard to disagree. This is especially true of the observations regarding the general direction of reading in our society. It is obvious that people read more broadly, and with less depth, now than we have historically. What results is often more like checking a book of an infinitely long list than gaining any deep meaning from a text. I find frequently that when someone is describing to me a book that they have read, they are rarely able to say more than that it was good and that I should read it. I believe the cause of this is mostly our current education system, which encourages testing on reading based on plots and characters rather than more subjective elements. As a result, many students viewed reading as a chore, something done haphazardly in order to pass a class rather than enjoy.

Despite my agreement with the majority of the book’s premise, I found the concerns about the abandonment of fiction to be hyperbolic at times. People are still reading fiction. The sales figures of books like the Harry Potter series can attest to that. As long as authors are able to capture the imaginations of their audiences, I do not fear for a complete takeover of fiction by non-fiction.

Through the entire text though, there is no discussion of quality of novels. Literary critics make a living promote some books over others in terms literary excellence and worthiness. The text emphasizes the importance of reading fiction in order to help formulate the self during youth, and enter the “reading state” where readers access a deeper sense of time and connectedness. Does the relative quality of the novel matter, or are all fiction novels equally able to assist in self-making and in entering the reading state?

For as much as the book was thought provoking, I think it is too late for me to change my ways regarding digital technology. Now however, I can recognize how my dependence on technology affects my reading and with that I can combat it. I wish only that more people would read The Gutenberg Elegies so that they may be able to see how technology affects their ability to read, and respect for print and fiction might be maintained.

-E. Ross Ura

Reflection of GE

Although it was difficult, I enjoyed reading The Gutenberg Elegies. Initially I was extremely put off by many harsh statements and difficult diction found in the introductions; however, as I continued to read the chapters I found that in all honesty Sven was correct. Technology could significantly change our lives and we need to be aware of it, and able to draw a line where our dependence becomes too much.

The first thing that caught my attention was the discussion of the change from vertical to horizontal reading. I agree with Sven’s analysis that reading nowadays is much more extensive. Currently, we read more books, magazines, etc. but we skim it over so fast that none of it stays in our thoughts. Previously, our reading was more vertical because people only had a few books in their collection that they would read multiple times extracting the full meaning of the text with deep analysis. Historian Rolf Engelsing states, “From the Middle Ages until sometime after 1750,[...]men read ‘intensively.’ They only had a few books[...]they read them over and over again[...]By 1800 men were reading ‘extensively.’ They read all kinds of material[...]read it only once, and then raced on to the next item”(71). Because there are numerous encounters with reading in this generation, people try to inform themselves with everything possible. The Internet in particular has contributed to this greatly by throwing many ads and commercials at our computer screen. This habit of trying to read over everything has ultimately caused our generation’s attention spans to be much shorter.

Another aspect discussed frequently was the different state people enter when they read. While many readers enter that “alternate” state when they read a novel, I seem to struggle with it. Sven describes “the state [you] occupy while reading often feels more focused, more meaningful, more real, than those that comprise most of my nonreading life”(103). I wish I was able to experience this while reading, but unfortunately my passion or interest in the readings aren’t as strong.

Reading the Afterward gave me a great idea of how Sven feels and why he chose to write this book. He expresses two large concerns: we will become a shallower society, and we will lose human gravity, and although these are valid concerns I am not too worried because they are such an extreme result. After reading The Gutenberg Elegies I gained a greater realization that technology is going to continue to be used in our lives no matter how hard we to avoid using it; however, it’s how we choose to use technology that will effect our generation. This book has given us a warning that if we don’t moderate the usage now there may be nothing in the future to help slow us down. Being able to resist the use of technology is only going to get more difficult as more gadgets are produced. So who will be the ready ones to deny it? Who knows, and that is a scary thought.

-Shelby Holt

I appreciate the reality check The Gutenberg Elegies offers. Sven Birkerts makes it clear through his essays that he believes literature is a fundamental resource that society must embrace and preserve. I agree that reading is essential and unique, but I also believe that the wisdom literature has to offer can be experienced in many different areas including films, art, first hand experiences, and story telling. The book’s introduction was very one sided. The introduction generalizes all technology as a burden to society rather than beneficial. Typically, I find it hard to agree with any argument that looks at a topic or situation on only one extreme side. Yes, language and literature are of utmost importance and must stay relevant in the age of technology. However, I do not believe Sven Birtkerts should introduce the book by dismissing all technology as inferior or harmful. Sven Birkerts generalizes all technology as a threat to the fate of reading and the first sense the reader gets is that the is closed minded and unwilling to change.

As the book progresses, Sven Birkerts solidifies his argument and makes clear that he is willing to look at both the positive and negative affects of technology. He admits technology does have benefits, but offers several warnings regarding technologies potential harm. With the rapid advancement in technology, the demand and appreciation for literature is steadily declining. A large portion of our youth, myself included, would prefer to use technology than sit down and enjoy a book. Birkerts’ pleas with the reader that books are invaluable resources that need to stay relevant must be taken seriously. It is scary to think children that are now being born into this technological revolution will never know life without technology.

After reading the book I now realize the affect technology has on my everyday life, as well as the potential harm it may have on the future. The book has made me very aware of my reliance on technology. Is being aware of my reliance on technology enough? What is the correct balance between technology and other resources? The presence of these questions in the back of my mind will allow me to make more educated decisions regarding the necessity and extent a new technological innovation should have on my life.

We all take technology for granted, and look at new improvements as revolutionary, but at what cost? We must realize that there are times when we should refrain from advancing technologically. Just because we have the ability to make technological advancements does not mean we should. I believe the answer to Sven Birkerts’ fears revolve around moderation. As a society we must realize when our usage of technology becomes excessive. Parents must limit their children’s use of technology and encourage them to read books and enjoy all life has to offer without the use of technology. The future of the world is destined to revolve around technology, and it is up to our youth to resist its never-ending presence.

As Sven Birkerts opens up his introduction to the Gutenberg Elegies, I started to think about how today’s world has changed since I was born in 1992. The computer, color TV, and cellphone all were invented and I even had the game Jump Start Kindergarten teach me how to do my ABC’s. Technological advances like these were already available to me: they are all I have ever known, and I have grown accustomed to their usage.

To Birkert’s credit, a man of his age and background is sure to be in shock when computers are introduced to a book and paper world. Imagine having the same book you read when you were in grade school now available to anybody over the digital screen of a computer, or having to go from listening baseball be reported over a radio to being watched on a TV. I cannot blame him for being so against technology. Books are dwindling in this generation, as can be seen when The Oxford Dictionary recently announced that they might discontinue their paper books. As he stated in his Introduction the 2006 Edition “Arguably, they ‘write’ and ‘read’ more than they ever have,” (pg xii). Computer users these days must “read” and “write” to find what they are looking for. However, most of the time I find that this reading and writing is too skin-deep, aka not deep/strong enough to make ourselves a better writer. As an academic student, I hope to see that technology will help us for the better and not for the “ADD” society that he believes in.

In his essay Perseus Unbound, he also talked about how interactive video technology has, “Muscled their way into the formerly textbound precincts of education” (134). Although the program ‘Perseus’ that he introduced is a new learning tool that allows students to study Greek in a new way, it is “a means less to instrumental application than to something more nebulous: understanding” (135).

For once, I actually am in agreement with him on this position. Electronic encyclopedia’s like that of Perseus really do make us less understanding of information. Facts are too often spoon fed to us in today's modern technological world rather than being learned by spending time with the information and understanding it. Without the use of reading, we lose our deep thinking abilities.

In all honesty, coming into my Eng125 class, I had thought that the ideas that you talked about in your introduction were such blasphemy. However, after reading through your essays, I can honestly say my mind has changed. Technology, as much as I hate to admit it, does have negative effects on us. I still love it, but I know and am more aware of the fact that there will be a time when enough is enough. As a reader, I take my reading more seriously knowing well that it can only help me in my endeavors of not only becoming a better reader, but a better human being.

The Changing Viewpoint

When I saw the book list for my English class I had no idea how powerful and life-changing the book The Gutenberg Elegies by Sven Birkerts, would be. Originally when our class read the book I found that I didn’t agree with Birkerts’ views, but this changed as I read Feed by M.T. Anderson.

From reading the prefaces I knew that reading the book wouldn’t be easy. Birkerts’ word choice was broader than the words in my vocabulary, and I struggled to comprehend what he was saying. But as I deciphered the difficult wording I realized that Birkerts and I shared very different viewpoints because I grew up with technology and have no idea how to live without it. For instance, I disagreed with his view that technology weakens the imagination because it was people with amazing imaginations who created these technological advancements. At the time my guard was up and I didn’t want to consider that imaginations are weakening in people who easily use technology to imitate pieces of work.

Needless to say, the prefaces didn’t leave me excited to continue reading the book. It wasn’t until I read the novel Feed by M.T Anderson that my viewpoints changed. The novel made me contemplate how technology would affect the future. I hated the idea of living in a world where technology ruins nature, and harms people. The characters didn’t seem to care or notice the adverse effects that technology had on their lives, which frustrated me. For some reason I was more accepting of Anderson’s work than I was of Birkerts’, and I think it was because Anderson shared his views as a fictional story. This indirect style of writing didn’t make me automatically defensive because I couldn’t sense that my views were being challenged.

After reading Feed I reconsidered Birkerts’ message, and found myself agreeing with him. I began recognizing how the effects of technology occur in everyday life. For example, in “Coda” Birkerts’ stated that “we [have grown] accustomed to the idea of parallel realities- one we lived in, the other that we stepped into whenever we wanted a break from our living” (214). Technology acts as an escape from reality for many people. People have become so good at escapism that they can escape anything they want, whenever they want. Students often try to relieve their stress by going on the Internet, but this only hurts them: they stay up late, lose sleep, and stress more.

While I found myself able to agree with and relate to the effects Birkerts wrote about, there were still times when I felt targeted. I sometimes skim pages, I procrastinate, I multitask, and I use media to escape reality. I assume that “if a technology is connected with communications or information processing that it must be good, we must need it” (221, Coda). I’m not perfect, but now I will be more aware of how technology is affecting me, and will not be as willing to make the Faustian Pact.