My hatred of the e-book stems further than a simple dislike for technology (‘...she wrote on her blog from her laptop’, ah the irony). I do seem to repel all electrical devises, yet with the e-book I feel it’s personal. I’d even go so far as to say it offends me.
We are living in a society that craves the fast and convenient. We want it all and we want it now, be it food, sex, music, culture. This may all seem well and good at present, but if we are to go by H.G. Wells' prediction depicted in The Time Machine (God knows we all do!), then this perpetual craving for the convenient will soon result in the downfall of humanity. Ok by soon I mean the year 802,701 A.D. - but you know how time flies. If we continue to strive and strive towards an idyllic, fuss-free life, then will we eventually eliminate the need to think at all?
Surely we must, somewhere along the line, take a stand and goddamit I'm taking it with e-books.
On a recent evening when I relayed my thoughts to my mother, she listened with a trait I seem to have inherited. For those who know me well I'm sure you have been irritated beyond belief by this quirk, whereby if there is any form of distraction before me - be it a book, magazine, text - then I will be completely oblivious to all around me. People may label it rude, I prefer cute!..
However despite the glazed over eyes, she did indeed respond. She informed me of her friend Gail, a lovely woman I have met who happens to be a keen cyclist and who, over the summer months, goes off on cycling adventures around the world. Anyway, Gail likes to read. You go Gail! And Gail finds it troubling being weighed down by numerous heavy books when on her bike. As a result, Gail has recently purchased an e-book which “has just been a lifesaver.”
“So” finished mother dearest with a smug look on her face, “what are your thoughts on that?”
Of course, now that I'm 21, I’m expected to handle these situations in a mature and adult manner. So with effort I resisted the urge to shout “Well Gail’s just gay then, isn’t she!”, whilst stomping up the stairs huffing like a disturbed child.
But I can't deny that she has a point. Perhaps the e-book can... ahem, be convenient at times?
Where my real hatred lies is in the basic principle that e-books can substitute books. They cannot. Reading, if done correctly, is not a passive medium. It requires an active participation from the reader and I do not feel this can be done from behind a computer screen. There’s no greater pleasure than reading a second hand book with that earthy, musty smell that leads you to contemplate previous owners. Books tell a story, and that story is not always confined to the words on a page.
I do not believe the literary greats - be it Chaucer, Shakespeare, J.K. Rowling (!) - were intended to be read slumped behind a computer screen, whilst flicking back and forth checking for updates on facebook.
So if you are seen to be in possession of an e-book, be prepared to suffer my wrath. Unless, of course, you cycle with Gail: Gail’s cool.
Nic x
*for reasons of privacy names have been changed. Gail is not actually called Gail. She is a keen cyclist though.
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