E-Books and the End of Literature

http://blog.parsely.com/post/26347602343/e-books-and-the-end-of-literature-or-how-i-learned-to

by mosescorn • 14 years ago

5 5 14 years ago

blog.parsely.com

thrill• 14 years ago

Someone will write a free app that introduces random data into the reading metrics.

mosescorn2• 14 years ago

someone needs to get on that asap

tjr• 14 years ago

Interesting. I had not previously considered the possible privacy intrusion into the actual process of reading (how much time is spent on what page, which pages are not read at all, etc.).

tzs• 14 years ago

Interesting. I've occasionally speculated that ebooks may put an end to new literature, but for a different reason--they make it very very easy for old literature to compete with new.

With physical books, older titles go out of print. Some become classics and do stay in print, but for the most part available books skew toward relatively recent books.

With ebooks, the older titles can stay available (especially if, as I think is likely, we eventually end up with an intellectual property system where we pay some kind of general IP tax and in exchange are allowed to freely copy and distribute copyrighted works).

In such an environment, where the best books from every year remain easily available in perpetuity (because nearly every book from every year remains available), the bar each year for a new author's work to command my attention gets higher and higher.

After a hundred years or so with ebooks, I could easily imagine us reaching a point where you almost have to be the next Shakespeare to get any interest in your work.

mosescorn2• 14 years ago

I'm not sure it's a bad thing that the competitiveness of literary production will increase.

I think you're 100% right in regards to Shakespeare, but I don't think that has anything to do with e-books. Although many of Shakespeare's contemporaries are studied in academia, Middleton, etc. are rarely read by or performed for the public. The decay rate of net 'great literature' is a natural process. I do wonder though whether e-books will speed it up.

E-Books and the End of Literature

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