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Is Amazon killing literary culture?

Is amazon killing literary culture?

  • Yes

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • No

    Votes: 7 46.7%

  • Stewart

    Votes: 3 20.0%

  • Literary culture has already been killed

    Votes: 5 33.3%
  • Total voters
    15
  • Poll closed .
SFG75

SFG75

Well-Known Member
Browsed through some of my favorite columnists and found Andrew Sullivan's posting about a NYT editorial making the contention that yes, Amazon kills literary culture. A powerful counter point was published on Slate and subsequently linked through another blog on writing and publishing.

I find the argument that independent bookstores create a "local" culture to be mistaken, as the above contrarian voice pointed out. The idea that they create some communal, democratic agora is more of a romanticized vision, as opposed to a real one. I could see how that appears to be the case at a Barnes & Nobles, but even then, everyone has their face in a book and drinking a latte, as opposed to avidly discussing books with one another and making suggestions with bated breath. I'm not sure an individual in his/her own mind among many, is doing more for culture than an individual solely purchasing a national bestseller in his/her own home.

Any thoughts?:innocent:
 
Funny you should ask, Scott, because quite fortuitously, my experience is one small speck on the other side of the fence from your view.

I was a frequent visitor to my local Borders in the suburbs of New York before they closed, attracted by both the bookshelves and the nice sunny café they had. Soon enough we regulars noticed one another and became acquainted and then quite friendly. Some were 7-day-a-week regulars, some few were weekends-only but we always enjoyed each other's company, always had something to chat about, and now, even though Borders and I have both left the neighborhood, two of the regulars and I are still in contact, and I wish I were still in contact with three of the others of the "core group." In fact I have been thinking of putting a personal notice in the local paper there in an attempt to get back in contact, since all we ever knew were each other's first names.

But that's only one instance, and I am sure the weight of experience is on your side.

Cheers
Peder
 
I can't say that I have ever observed this "literary culture". Maybe I am not old enough, don't/didn't go to the right bookshops, don't have enough free time, or don't live in NYC.
 
Peder-thanks for sharing about your experience. Mine is more of a cursory glance, a quick hop into the store for quick buys before getting all the kiddos back out into the van, that kind of thing. I also like the idea of the newspaper ad. I think a "literary culture" or whatever else you want to call it, can be had at libraries and the like. If the authors are concerned about "local" conversing, they should know that it occurs all the time at doughnut shops and bakeries. I remember going to a few as a kid with my grandfather and I swore his conversations with other people lasted forever. As he was a local elected official, it seemed like he knew just about every other person walking down the street. I look back fondly on that, and the little shop that we would frequent that is still in business in a town of roughly 30,000. Can amazon create such a thing? Perhaps skype/face time book discussions?, with the wiles of technology, the day may not be far off when that becomes a realistic option.
 
SFG75 said:
Peder-thanks for sharing about your experience. Mine is more of a cursory glance, a quick hop into the store for quick buys before getting all the kiddos back out into the van, that kind of thing. I also like the idea of the newspaper ad. I think a "literary culture" or whatever else you want to call it, can be had at libraries and the like. If the authors are concerned about "local" conversing, they should know that it occurs all the time at doughnut shops and bakeries. I remember going to a few as a kid with my grandfather and I swore his conversations with other people lasted forever. As he was a local elected official, it seemed like he knew just about every other person walking down the street. I look back fondly on that, and the little shop that we would frequent that is still in business in a town of roughly 30,000. Can amazon create such a thing? Perhaps skype/face time book discussions?, with the wiles of technology, the day may not be far off when that becomes a realistic option.
Click to expand...

Well, Scott, first off let me say there is Culture and culture. The people who were/are in Literary Culture, such as Christopher Hitchens, Dorothy Parker, Lionel Trilling, Bryan Boyd, Harold Ross and Susan Sontag perhaps, are a different species and I don't think they fit Sparky's criteria. Sort of like the rich and famous are different from the rest of us.

For us coffee-sippers and dabblers in writing and book reading, however, there is much truth in what you say. Our library hosts weekly meetings of a group of local authors, published and unpublished, none famous, who share and critique each others writings. A group of poetry afficionados meets monthly at a local Thai restaurant to read their poetry and enjoy conviviality, and last night a member mentioned yet another group to me at another library where a class on writing memoirs is taking place. Not to mention the fact that local Barnes and Noble hosts regular poetry readings, and author signings of course. So, interested people can seek it out, and if that counts as "literary culture" with a lower case "c," then it is still alive here around New Orleans.
 
No. I don't think so. I think that amazon is the way for new writers for who is imposible to be known in other way. They have blogs and webs where you can read some chapters. Then if you like the book you can buy it for one, two or three (Dolar, Euro, libra).
 
I'm still not clear on what "literary culture" implies in this context. If it means people getting together at bookstores, discussing the latest reads or anything at all, then it seems unfair to put the blame on Amazon alone. American culture in general seems to have swayed towards a less gregarious form and Amazon represents a only a piece of the larger picture. It's been happening since the early 20th century as we stopped gathering in person outside the home and started gathering inside the home with gadgets. With protable devices we can now ignore the world while being right in the middle of the world. We've been transformed into little roaming private living rooms. Of course, pockets still remain of the "old culture," but they seem to provide envious exceptions. I've looked for such a thing in my area for a few years now and have had no luck. And I live in a larger city, though not a massive one.

Or maybe I'm misunderstanding what we mean by "literary culture."
 
I doubt that Amazon is killing literary culture any more than the garage band is killing big labels. It’s the Internet period that’s wiping it all out.
 
Lovecraftian said:
I doubt that Amazon is killing literary culture any more than the garage band is killing big labels. It’s the Internet period that’s wiping it all out.
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Sometimes I think the Internet is completely wiping out any sort of civilized culture at all.
 
Yep. Surely the single most dangerous thing to civilized culture is a tool that allows people all over the world to communicate and share information.
 
Thanks for the question, Polly. I'll be back with you when we get home from shopping.
Sincerely
Peder
:flowers:
 
"Culture" in general has changed because of the internet. It is perfectly normal for people to make friends through the internet, and for those friends to become important parts of their lives. Not to say that bad things don't happen....
Regarding literary culture specifically, I don't know how that works. I am the odd person out in my group of friends and family. If it wasn't for the internet and people like you all, I wouldn't have anyone to talk to about books, so I am all for the internet literary culture shift. Also I think that you might even get conversation that is slightly more honest on the net, rather than face to face.
Example :
Your at your local book discussion group and a girl mentions how much she likes twilight..... But she's also insanely hot. Decisions, decisions....
:innocent:
 
753C said:
Example :
Your at your local book discussion group and a girl mentions how much she likes twilight..... But she's also insanely hot. Decisions, decisions....
:innocent:
Click to expand...

"Oh yes, Stephanie Meyer has taken supernatural romances to places never before considered. In a sense, she's a pioneer."
 
753C said:
"Culture" in general has changed because of the internet. It is perfectly normal for people to make friends through the internet, and for those friends to become important parts of their lives. Not to say that bad things don't happen....
Regarding literary culture specifically, I don't know how that works. I am the odd person out in my group of friends and family. If it wasn't for the internet and people like you all, I wouldn't have anyone to talk to about books, so I am all for the internet literary culture shift. Also I think that you might even get conversation that is slightly more honest on the net, rather than face to face.
Example :
Your at your local book discussion group and a girl mentions how much she likes twilight..... But she's also insanely hot. Decisions, decisions....
:innocent:
Click to expand...

No problemo, just direct Miss Hottie towards Dracula and Frankenstein..Invite her to delve into the roots of the modern monster genre.:flowers:
 
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