Comments on: Review: The Late American Novel

By: » Monday’s Writing Links (2/6) Conor P. Dempsey

» Monday’s Writing Links (2/6) Conor P. Dempsey — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:28:32 +0000

[...] – SFWA Review: ‘The Late American Novel’ (sfwa) [...]

By: James

James — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 04:30:10 +0000

I think, as far as boots and tuna go, it’s important to point out that while a larger net will inevitably catch more boots, it will also still catch more tuna. And for those people who mistakenly eat the boots, all it will take is for them to eat but one tuna — no matter how many boots they’ve eaten — to realize the difference. As to whether or not they’ll prefer the boots or tuna is a matter of personal taste.

Moving beyond the fish metaphors, I think there will remain enough interest in the printed form that it’ll stick around, even if only for a couple of centuries. It would be unwise to desire or even expect there to be one form of something: it’s like saying a country should only make use of wind or solar power and eschew coal, natural gas, or nuclear energy. Sure, it seems progressive until the breeze stops blowing or there’s a cloudy day.

E-books are likely here to stay, but the millennia-old format of a bound book isn’t going to be ousted in a single year — or even a decade — by the advent of a digital format. More than likely, the death of printing (though I hesitate to call it “death”) will take place over at least a couple generations, wherein the sentimentality of the medium will give way to the sentimentality of the subject. No longer will readers grow misty-eyed over the marked, yellowed pages, but instead over the words provided by the author and the memories associated with them. (Of course that happens now, but shedding the note-making ability might make that feeling more acute.)

Only then, long after we have died or at least reached a point where we no longer bother to care about such a material matter, will the printed book be in danger of disappearing, though there’s still no certainty that it will fade.

By: Cat Rambo

Cat Rambo — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:12:29 +0000

Elaine -

That’s a valid point. How will we be able to separate the gold from the chaff? I increasingly tend to rely on recommendations from other people – books mentioned at cons, for example – since I don’t browse in physical locations as much as I used to.

I’d like to think that the quality stuff will get passed along and overcome the forces of publicity and savvy marketing. Probably more accurate to say some of it will.

By: Elaine

Elaine — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:45:31 +0000

What worries me more than the means of the narrative delivery is the question of what will survive of its quality. One can liken the internet as a giant net that catches more and more boots along with tuna. People become accustomed to boots and even confused by boots, and so, will eat the boot thinking it’s tuna. I think writing suffers today. I worry that the narrative will suffer too. People seem satisfied with their tuna-boots. Lessened quality worries me. But you are right. The narrative will survive, because it’s been fundamental to us humans. Maybe quality will find its way, too.

Elaine Sangiolo, Writer, Book Marketing Manager: Cathedral of Dreams by Terry Persun and A Kingdom’s Possession by Nicole Persun. @inkdipped