9-21-15
I am currently
taking a class called American Fiction- 1960 to the Present. So far, the class has been pretty great. It
is very discussion-oriented, which in my opinion, tends to lead to the best
in-class experiences. The focus of the literature we’ve been reading and the
discussions we’ve been having has been on wartime, and specifically what that
notion of wartime means to different people in different generations of modern
American culture. The first book we read was Kurt Vonnegut’s classic Slaughterhouse 5, which I’m happy I
finally the chance to read and discuss. We’ve since moved on to the
pseudo-autobiographical Revolt of the
Cockroach People by Oscar Zeta Acosta. I had never heard of the book
before, and new little about the author prior to our study of his life and
works in this class—in both cases, the topics of conversation have been
incredibly interesting. I’ll spare the details for the purposes of this blog
post, but I’d definitely recommend reading up on Acosta’s life and cause if
you’re interested in the Chicano movement in and around L.A during the 1960’s.
Fortunately, I was
able to find a free version of Revolt of
the Cockroach People online, available through a PDF file hosted on a
website (the site itself is dedicated to Acosta’s cause, so there’s no
indication that it’s illegal, rather a means to increase awareness about the
book itself). It’s been an interesting experience reading an entire novel on my
computer, and this one in particular; the font is fairly large and there is
quite a bit of space between paragraphs, including all the lines of dialogue.
As a result, I find myself essentially constantly scrolling down to keep
reading. I’ve never felt like I’ve read a book quicker than this one simply
because of this illusion. There are over 550 pages online, nearly double that
of the physical book, and it seems like I’ve actually been reading it twice as
fast. To me, it seems almost too casual and too fast to be reading an actual
book; while I’ve been absorbing everything and paying attention to what’s
happening, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m reading an online news article
rather than an award-winning novel. I’m used to lingering on pages for a while,
rereading certain lines and marking notes where needed. In this case, however, I
don’t have that option—it’s nearly impossible to find specific quotes I’m
looking for because of the huge number of pages.
While I like the
fact that I feel like I’m making quick progress through the novel, I think
having the physical book would be much more beneficial in regards to deep
reading and interacting with the text. My financial instincts dictate that I
won’t pass up an opportunity to get a book for free rather than buy it in the
store, however, if it’s a book that I just want to read for pleasure rather
than an assigned text, I certainly won’t be looking to scroll through it as
casually as I am this novel.
Thanks for the great post. I was really interested in the differences you found in reading online and holding a book in your hands. Interesting that you found the reading easier online, but shallower.
ReplyDeleteI thought your post brought up several good points and was relatable! When I buy a book on my Kindle or read online articles for class, I feel as if I am reading faster than usual. It does feel strange not to mark pages or fold over a page when I stop reading for the day. I agree that in class it is harder to reference a quote from an online book - especially when others have the print copy so the pages could be off. I like the speed and ease of having books online - but I agree it isn't the same as holding a book and marking it. In most of my english classes at TCU, the teachers have preferred us to have the print copies of books - I wonder though if in the future this will change and everyone will go digital.
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