Re-rendering Content
January to April 2010, Faculty: Holly Willis
With each succeeding layer of progress, we have started revolutionizing time, responses and practices. As, a civilization we have been constantly building new alternatives to contextually traditional practices. With each advancement, the imagination becomes bolder, popularly known as "futuristic". We delve into the future, and, toil to create the world 'to be', but, along with excitement there is anxiety. Perhaps the apprehensions lies in the accelerated pace of the change that does not provided a perspective of the future scenario. And so, we try to carry the reminiscence of the past, the aesthetic appeal of passing times lingers on as we wistfully step forward into the future. We build the foundations of the 'later' on the 'former'. Its inane to do so as it provides a point of reference upon which a gradual transition can be envisioned. Currently, the world is making a shift into the digital future. The strides of the digital media are in various directions. One such course belongs to the digital transformation of traditional mediums. One among the many popular mediums under the scrutiny of the digital impact is the 'book'. There are many discourses around the future of this form. With the strong presence of popular mass media like the film and television, many perceive that the books had already been on their way out through most of the twentieth century. Now its widely reckoned that with the emergence of digitally mediated lifestyle the books will fade into the moment of time.
Question that emerges is that why is book as a form is being disregarded to continue its hold in the future world? Is it because it no longer serves the purpose? Or is the content that the book held over the ages would become redundant in the future? None of the above can be held true. However, perhaps this sense arise from the fact that the digital / information age is rendering new forms to suitable to hold the content until now primarily held by the book. Here is it important to build clarity therefore from here on we shall call the traditional form (the printed medium) of book as the 'printed book'. The two other digital forms or the new alternative of the book that reflected in this essay as the 'audio book' and the 'electronic book'; also known as the 'e-book'. Through a thorough reflection of the three forms - printed book, audio book and the e-book, we will try to determine reasons why a form emerges and what characteristics of each allow the reader to access the content in a unique way. Thereby, how the re-rendered forms of the book will change the way we read or understand the message the content holds.
For any good reflection to shape itself we need to understand the historical context in which the it emerged and what was the socio-cultural impact. The accelerated change that we experience today perhaps began with the mechanization of the modern man. The change since then, started to impact our sensorial perceptions and cognitive experiences. The world slowly started to converge and global exchange eventually became an inevitable phenomenon. There are various factors socio-political and economic factors that made this the current reality. However, various western advancements provided a sizable contribution in the materialization of the world as we see it today. Among the first, was the invention of movable type that forged a way for knowledge to be accessed which until then was largely restricted. Print was probably one of the first media to advance knowledge from few to many. In some sense it democratized the knowledge. The invention of photography and moving images with colour, sound and dimensionality produced a new visual narrative culture and social interaction. Alongside, with telephone and satellite television becoming a household phenomena, redefined the exchange of information and communication. Overall, the two emerging themes of the modern man were 'great accessibility' and 'speed'. The birth of digital world and its artifacts generated a concern for all prior and now traditional mediums, that had toiled hard to establish a niche in the society. Characteristically, digital world engulfed all mediums and slowly started to converging it into one.
With the introduction of every new digital artifact / apparatus, the air proceeded to discuss the impact it will have on the existing traditional mediums and also the continuous piling of obsolete digital mediums. To an extent where the world started perceiving the 'end' of various forms. One such mention was there in Anne Everett's article on 'Digitextual and Click Theory'. She writes, "The advent of the digital revolution in the late twentieth and early-twentieth-first century media culture apparently confirms both Jean-Luc Godard's belief in the 'end of cinema' and other media critics' claims that we have entered a posttelevision age." Similar thought is also stated by the Florian Brody, in his article 'The Medium is the Memory', published as a chapter of 'The Digital Dialectic. New Essays on New Media'. He states that "Books have been on the way out for most of the twentieth century. Our dreams are no longer located between their covers; first movies, then television, and now the computer have offered more involving fantasies… And, yet, I contend that digital media - unlike film and video - have the potential to emerge as a new type of book." The above two reference state that the books have certainly reached a peroration and thereby their existence is close to extinction. How true is this premonition is yet to be determined by the time. However, I certainly agree with them that the digital media will evolve a new form of narrative and its reading that is different from those that have existed. Nevertheless, If Marshall McLuhan's pioneering idea 'medium is the message' and that that all media /form have characteristics that engage the viewer in different ways, is to be considered, then what transformation will occur in the message when its form is changed? To further elucidate this, over the years a volume of content has been generated keeping in mind the form it will be presented it in. Thereby, with the same content being replicated onto another media will perhaps result in either a hybridized message or a new message all together. It intrigues me to think what happens when a content is consumed in a form other than its original form it was intended for? Is it not important to relish the content in its original form? And, if we don't, then I wonder, why the theaters as a form still exists in our cultural society?
With these thoughts I tend to lean towards what Katherine Halyles has to say in her book 'Writing Machines'. She puts forward a contrasting yet, a compelling perspective "With both print and screen, the specificity of the medium comes into play as its characteristics are flaunted, suppressed, subverted, or re-imagined. Many critics see the electronic age as heralding the end of books. I think this view is mistaken. Print books are far too hardy, reliable, long lived, and versatile to be rendered obsolete by digital media." And, she goes on to mention that "Books are not going the way of the dinosaurs but the way of the human, changing as we change, mutating and evolving in the way that will continue, as a book lover said long ago, to teach and delight." It is noteworthy that we are indeed perceiving a 'change'. Katherine Hayles description of the 'printed book' is though-provoking, as well, as her description of the book as 'too hardy, reliable, long lived, and versatile'. This is probably emerging from the form and materiality of the 'printed book' or as she mentions "the specificity of the medium". Thereby, I am now compelled to seek the definition of the word 'book'. And one of the most interesting definitions I found was in Florian Brody's article 'The Medium is the Memory', published as a chapter of 'The Digital Dialectic. New Essays on New Media'. His well articulated definition of 'book' is as follows "We can define them in terms of type: they are novels, collections of poetry and short stories, reference works, technical manual, and so forth. A book has typical topology: a bound set of pages with a cover, rectangular in shape, containing text and images, printed on pages of uniform size."
What is interesting about this definition is that it gives us an holistic idea of book as an 'idea' and book as a 'form'. For the purpose of this essay, I am interested in book as a 'form'. As the fear prevails that the printed book as a 'form' will cease to exists.
In the genre of experiencing a literary text the 'print books' occupies a prominent place and hence it is relevant to begin with the printed book as a form of experience. Book as a form provides a certain kind of sensorial experience. It's tangible nature comforts the reader with sense of magnitude. The smell of the paper, old or new provides an aroma. The feels of the paper and the experience of turning one page to the other. Visuality appeals and informs the reader. By just looking at the thickness of the book the reader can to do a quick mental calculation of time he would invest. Illustrated covers of different styles shape your imagination and construct a time and space in which the imagined world of the text can bloom. Collective play of the ink, size, paper, font, shape of the alphabets, colour, and the structure of the content on the page and the pages to follow construct a meditative environment from where the reader's mind moves beyond the physical materiality. And, the process reading becomes multi-sensorial experience obtained by simultaneous and continuous involvement of all senses. As Katherine Hayles5 character Kaye in Writing Machines explains "… with books she continued to devour, accessible to her because they were low-tech and portable enough to withstand the dunking they received on the occasion when she grabbed the soap. Yes, she read in the bathtub. She read everywhere, in every conceivable position." The structure of the book like page numbers, margins, spreads etc.. provide a spatial sense where the reader can personalize providing an extra layer to the future reads. Many times the books carry with them the narrative of the owner. The structural quality of the opening pages allow many inscriptions to be etched providing a parallel tale. Like all objects owned printed books become object of personal sentiments and memories. And, the tangibility of the form furthers the parallel narrative, through practices of use, re-use, circulation across generations. Similarly, books also reflects various habits and characteristics of its owner. Its an object that in some time starts to becomes the extension of those reading it.
Also historically, at some point in time they were new 'print artifacts' of everyday living, similar to our present day digital artifacts. It's owners probable felt the same sense of prestige as we do today when owning the most recent digital sensation. And, similarly they would have altered it beyond their intentional use. As can be observed in the following excerpt from Jane Austin's literary work, Sense and Sensibility,
"...he took up her scissors and cut off a long lock of her hair, for it was all tumbled down her back; and he kissed it, and folded it up in a piece of white paper; and put it into his pocket-book."
Here the book exceeded itself from being a form that hold literary work to an entity where personal artifacts could be preserved or kept. This is another way in which the book proceeds to become a personal extension by becoming a personal portable case.
Every new media requires literacy to comprehend it. With the growing popularity of the media the social taboo and certain unique practices emerge, this can be observed from another excerpt from Jane Austin's acclaimed literary work titles Pride and Prejudice
"...when tea was over, glad to invite him to read aloud to the ladies. Mr. Collins readily assented, and a book was produced; but, on beholding it (for everything announced it to be from a circulating library), he started back, and begging pardon, protested that he never read novels. Kitty stared at him, and Lydia exclaimed. Other books were produced, and after some deliberation he chose Fordyce's Sermons. Lydia gaped as he opened the volume, and before he had, with very monotonous solemnity, read three pages, she interrupted him with…"
With the unfortunate episode of Mr. Collins unsatisfactory of reading capabilities. It is popular fact that until as recent as the 18th century that printed books were read aloud during leisure time and many other family moments. A common ancient practice of story telling, oral traditions can be traced back to early human civilizations.
The content of the printed book pursued to develop into more contextual relevant form and found its way into various digital artifacts. Thereby, currently we can observe that the a literary text can be accessed in various digital forms. Continuing the thought of the oral traditions, at this juncture, I'll discuss the how the digital technology have re-introduced the tradition of oral narration. Contemporary lifestyle and practices have played an important role in the auditory form of narratives to become popular. Appending these living practices, the digital revolution created appropriates the artifacts for the book as to thrive and seep itself back as a mode of experiencing a literary works. A recent article in on an online journal stated the experience of an avid user of audio books
"JIM HARRIS, a lifelong bookworm, cracked the covers of only four books last year. But he listened to 54, all unabridged. He listened to Harry Potter and "Moby-Dick," Don DeLillo and Stephen King. He listened in the car, eating lunch, doing the dishes, sitting in doctors' offices and climbing the stairs at work.
The above story of Jim Harris resonates the character of Kaye from Katherine Hayles novel 'Writing Machines', more than the tea time reading of Mr. Collins, in Jane Austin's Novel. The excerpt of Kaye and Jim indicate that the current lifestyle practices necessitates multi-tasking. Midst, the grind of earning daily bread and butter, people want their imagination some nourishment as well. It is important to understand that at the time of inception of printed book, it proved to be apt in context to the daily practices of that life. Perhaps then there were fewer distraction that appropriated an immersive read. The present lifestyle that has greater pressures of individual and collective responsibilities, allows little scope for people for get absorbed in a printed book. Even more the multi sensorial stimulus has reduced the ability to be engrossed in a static content. Outmoded, through course of time, oral narrations have found their way back through means of the audio books. Currently, various authors have started making audio forms of their books. This unusual practice helps the author and the reader build a unique relationship. Specially so in case where the content is in the biographical or autobiographical in nature. There are several constraints of the audio book and similarly of the printed counterpart, however, I should perhaps discuss the electronic version before I move to discuss each of their constraints.
Similar to the audio books, electronic books popularly know as the the e-books are another form of experiencing the work of literature. There are various digital libraries that are feverishly working towards compilation of literature and books from other genres. Project Gutenberg, Google Book Search, Internet Archive, Cornell University, The Library of Congress World Digital Library, The Digital Library at the University of Michigan, and Carnegie Mellon University's Million Book Project are considered leaders in the field of digital library creation and management. Project Gutenberg and Google Books are perhaps some of the most famous. The Google Books presents the book in form of a single page by page trying to mimic the same structure and appearance, as that, of a printed book. However, apart from the cover each book looks the similar and uses common visual language. Perhaps developing a signature style by which the book can be traced to its publisher. Therefore, there is no way to distinguish the book other than by it's cover. Project Gutenberg, uses a rather simple presentation of the work in three basic styles; plain text, HTML, and PDF. All three styles do not include any cover or allow any scope of constructing a context prior to the read. What is interesting it that it has its own stylistic treatment and does not mimic the printed book. And, comfortably I see them as digital form of content representation. The text can be read in a single scrollable electronic page layout. Other than the name there is no way to distinguish the book. E-books are easily accessible in low-cost. They are portable in a digitally mediated environment and can be accessed through various artifacts. The portability of the leisure read allows the reader to incorporate the activity into his/her day-to-day life with greater ease. The book only divides itself in traditional chapters, probably the only cue the user could use to return back to the text. The PDF incorporates page numbers (built within the software) and uses a serif type face, giving some glimpse into old style feel. These books are downloadable and the formats in which they are read allow the user to make notes and create personal visual makers for future reference. While reading various scholarly works and literature the user can cross reference on the digital mediated environments and expand the knowledge without the hassle of carrying extra documents. Similarly the easy access to online and built in dictionaries make the reader can quickly refer the meaning difficult words. This aids a quick understanding of the context and also improves the vocabulary of the reader.
Contrary to the printed counterpart, both the digital forms empower the reader with array of choices and almost an instantaneous read, with only exception to constraints that the digital carrier may have. In this aspect the Kaye indication to printed book being a 'low-tech portable form' was accurate. However, the disadvantage lies in the current presentation and the structure of these digital forms. The printed book had a cover, back cover and sometimes a jacket that allowed the reader to get a synopsis of what is presented before him. Also genres of classics and contemporaries had a distinct style that helped to create a context. Project Gutenberg is a continuous read of text presented in mundane visual style. The text pays no attention to the type setting or graphic layout. And, the reader must scroll down to read along. Characteristically, the book is presented with no page number of visual makers that could assist the reader to return to the point he stopped. The monotony of read could make the reader loose interest. This is still balanced in the audio form where different narrators narrate the story to break the monotony. The presentation may not make e-books to be the most desirable form of reading, it nevertheless has made some conquests in context of democratization and accessibility of reading the text. The auditory experience of narration, stimulating the mind of the listener of the Audio Book. However, audio books by the nature of its design easily allows the listener to get distracted or attention deviated while the narration continues. In such a scenario, the listener finds himself repeatedly listening to the same thing over and over again. Thereby, in that aspect the textual form such as the e books and printed books permits the reader an immersive experience. Also, once distracted in the middle of the audio book. The listener may find it almost difficult to return back to the same point and continue the reading. The tangibility of the printed creates individuality, ownership and in some case dialogues with the surrounding individuals. The digital books in their current form have the lesser ability to create the sense of ownership in the reader's mind. The virtuality and lack of presentability have not rendered digital books to become as object of exchange. There is no visible activity of people gifting and lending digital books among one another. However, it can not be refuted that in present context the digital books merge with the virtual environment and allow feasible of reading, unlike the printed book. Each of the above form have a unique mode of experience that allows the reader to approach the content in a distinct manner. The experience of these reads are what create the unique impression of the content.
With this said, how can the content in the old form be re-introduces in the new forms? What are the uniques patterns emerging? What part of the traditional form can be carried forward to these new forms? The important emerging idea is that, the introduction of new alternatives or the re-rendered forms are not because the old ways are inferior or inadequate, but, because the times have altered our stimulus. The modified stimulus have led people to adopt new media forms of traditional practices such as film, music, reading etc... As the civilization exerts itself toward the digital /information age, the adoption of the new modes are the results of the realities of the contemporary living and the affordance of the new digital artifacts. However, this is not an indicator that the older forms will become the glories of the past. And, even if they do content within the traditional form is still being sought. The discourse should not be if the traditional forms will survive or not; but, how can the message of the content be presented in the new form. Thereby, what are the ways in which we can render the form in a way that the old content can be experienced in a unique re-rendered fashion. The content and the context is important, but more importantly the form should provide the context and the content to flourish, such that new modes of reading can emerge.