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