I worry that literature is a dying art. It's one of those nagging things that keeps me from falling asleep at night. Is reading really dying, or are my late-night worries all for nothing?
It's true that literature doesn't hold the prominent place it once did in American society. In the mid-nineteenth century, Romantic poets like Longfellow were so popular and widely read they were referred to as the Fireside Poets"" because families would read their poems aloud around the fire. Certainly no modern writers hold such a prominent position today, perhaps with the exception of J.K. Rowling. While literature is not dead yet, it has, without a doubt, been marginalized. Only a minority of Americans read for pleasure and, with every decade, that number declines. Although books remain alive, this trend suggests that one day, literature will be doomed, as books are drowned out by movies, television and, of course, the Internet.
Believe it or not, literature is important. As with any art, it is valuable, and if we just sit by as it fades away, it would be a great loss. In a world with so much chaos, with so much information, noise and constant stimuli, literature does the important job of making sense of it all. Books lay out all the mysteries and anarchy of life on the page, in a form we can grasp and understand. After finishing a great book, even a sad one, the world seems more manageable, more comprehensible. The Internet certainly can't do that - in fact, it just adds to the noise and commotion of the world.
One of the purposes of the Internet and other technology, which has contributed to the marginalization of literature, is to connect everyone on earth. In some ways, all this technology does make the globe a smaller, more interwoven place (although I'm not sure how watching a baby panda sneeze, cute as it may be, accomplishes this). But the easiest way to feel connected and gain empathy with the human race - past, present, and future - is to read. Allen Bennet's marvelous play, ""The History Boys,"" articulates this point more beautifully than I ever could. He writes, ""The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - that you'd thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you've never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it's as if a hand has come out and taken yours."" The world is a safer place because of that ""hand,"" and I wouldn't want to live in a world without it.
I hope this generation will bring literature back from the brink. This is my last column as I am graduating in May, and I'm using it to extend a plea to all students. In fact, I'm down on my proverbial hands and knees, begging everyone to read. Please, go to the nearest library or bookstore and read. Pass a love of literature along to your kids. Don't let books get swallowed up by the chaos of modern life. I'll sleep better at night if I know just a few more people appreciate literature.
Appreciate Anna's efforts to save lit from the clutches of the Internet this semester? Let her know at akwilliams1@wisc.edu.
