E-Books: Where Will They Take Us?

After reading Johanna Drucker’s “The Virtual Codex from Page Space to E-Space” I contemplate the design of the e-book and how much it can, or cannot, substitute the use of a regular, codex book. The article was published in A Companion to Digital Literary Studies in 2008, and I can’t help but think about all the things that have changed since than. It is 2015 now and Amazon has released several versions of their e-reader, Kindle, that is probably the closest to replicating a codex book. It’s features, on the HD reader at least, definitely try to mimic the look of a regular book. When you swipe the screen it looks as though the page as turning; you can highlight text and add notes as well. One of my favorites features of reading e-books is the search function. I had once been more privy to using codex based books, especially when I was writing a paper. Having the book in my hand and being able to find the sticky note I added to locate what I wanted to write about in my paper was comforting. I find now that with the search mechanism, I can find words, phrases, etc…and that comes in especially useful when I’m writing papers. Kindle (I’m not sure about other e-readers like Barnes and Noble’s Nook) even collects in one space all the highlights and notes you made, so finding those is not any harder than finding them in a regular codex form. I think that Drucker raises an interesting question when she writes “… I return to my original question: What features of traditional codex books are relevant to the conception and design of virtual books?” (1). I would place emphasis on the need for a place to take notes and write down ideas while reading. As I mentioned before, the Kindle device does take care of this need. Drucker answers the question a little more in depth though. She writes “My approach can be outlined as follows: (1) proceed through analysis of “how” a book “works” rather than by describing what we think a book “is”; (2) describe the “program” that arises from a book’s formal structures; (3) discard the idea of iconic “metaphors” of book structure in favor of understanding the way these forms serve as constrained parameters for performance” (1). These are all really good points because as literature majors I think it is natural for us to put the meaning of the story, the theory, the analysis, etc…before what constitutes the actual purpose and design of a book. So many of my friends and colleagues will say without hesitation that they love books, LOVE BOOKS! The smell of a new book, the smell of an old book; the texture of the pages, the thrill of turning a page and knowing they are one minute closer to the finish. I don’t think there will every be anything that can replace this feeling, and thus codex books are not in danger of being replaced by their electronic substitute. I may be committing “literary heresy” here, but I like both equally. I know, I know, send out the guards to bring me to the dungeon now! But really, I find that I love my Kindle for the specific features it offers as much as I love the old fashion version. Maybe someday my opinion will change, but for now I like both. Of course, there is one exception: I like finding old books, primary sources, and of course old newspapers. I’m an early Americanist- I can’t help it. The feeling of finding something really cool in an old newspaper will never be replaced by the benefits of an electronic device.

I did not address the “where will they take us” part of this blog post. I think I need time to ponder some more on this question. They have already taken us so far. Anyone have any ideas?