----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob W" <[email protected]>
The mistake you're making, Mark, is thinking that reading a novel, or even a recipe book, is a utilitarian activity like getting from A to B. It isn't. Reading a classic book is like looking at a Rembrandt painting. There is a world of difference between looking at an original oil painting and looking at a reproduction, and it encompasses not just the act of looking, but also everything that goes around it, such as the gallery, the place, the people, the other pictures in that place, and many other factors. Reading a printed book is a similar experience and goes beyond the words themselves to encompass the book itself, your surroundings and so on. It's a long way from being utilitarian. If you (and more importantly the producers of e-readers) don't understand that then these devices are doomed to fail. Bob Now there's a false analogy. The translation from painting to print alters the essence of the art. The paint, the texture, even the color, they're all changed and seriously degraded. But the personality of literture lies in the words, not the medium that presents them. Literary art isn't created at printing plants or binderies, it's born in the mind of the writer. How it's conveyed is somewhat irrelevant. There is, of course, some art involved in bookmaking, but its secondary to the written word. On the other hand, the artistry of the painting is a function of the medium. But you knew that, you just want to argue:-). Paul -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
