On January 21st the Washington Post carried a distressing article headed “A Librarian’s Lament,” by Thomas Washington. He said that librarians are no longer focused on books, but on information management, databases and research tools, and , indeed were not even called librarians any more. Meanwhile, according to the 2004 Reading at risk report by the national Endowment for the Arts, reading is in serious decline, especially in the age group 18 – 24.
“Recently," he said, " I stood Charles Dicken’s “Bleak House” next to the CVD version produced by the BBC. Lady Dedlock (Gillian Anderson) graced both covers. A (school) senior fingered the DVD for a minute, then turned it over to read the blurb. “The book is too long, “she said, “ is the movie any better?”
“You’re right. The book is long,” I said . “But once you start it you won’t be able to put it down….”
"I think I’ll watch the DVD, “ the student said.
In today’s anti-intellectual culture, does it matter that the next generation will miss the great literature of the past, and only get a passing impression of it through a foreshortened movie?
You can get the impression of the story from a two hour film of a Dickens novel, but you cannot reach that level of personal emotional involvement, that magical sense of entering the realm of the imagination, that feeling of being carried away into another world. Films and videos are ephemeral in comparison to books. Children are losing such a lot. I intend to build up a library of some of the most special books in the English language and bestow them upon my grandchildren. Thus, as soon as they can read on their own, they will have good books always to hand. If they choose not to read them, so be it.
One little wisp of encouragement. Children’s books are now tailored even to baby fingers and eyes; toddlers, too, can easily carry the little volumes of thick pages and colorful drawings.
Apparently children’s lit is a thriving field of publishing. I wonder if there are grounds for hoping that the early acquaintance with small, child-friendly books will develop into adult love of the written word? (Well, one must look on the bright side, eh)?
Hopefully, we can pass the torch onto the next generation, just as Robert and also the ‘thriving field of children’s publishing’ (daplollonia) is doing. I am compiling a book of my best loved poetry especially for my grand daughter. It will have personal touches which hopefully she will treasure. Also and most importantly, she will learn to love the English language and the images it can evoke.