Philip Roth's comments on the end of fiction...

[ewomack]

A few years back Philip Roth was interviewed on TV about his thoughts about the future of fiction. He didn't think fiction will last another decade or two because people will find "more compelling" forms of entertainment.

Does anyone agree with this? Is fiction on an inexorable downward decline? Will it go the way of dixieland jazz?

 

[beer good]

A few years back Philip Roth was interviewed on TV about his thoughts about the future of fiction. He didn't think fiction will last another decade or two because people will find "more compelling" forms of entertainment.

Does anyone agree with this? Is fiction on an inexorable downward decline? Will it go the way of dixieland jazz?

Do you have a link to the actual interview? Roth is a smart man, and I'd like to read the quote in context before commenting on it...

...especially since the idea of fiction dying is so ludicrous. People have been telling stories since before civlization began.

 

[BooknaMug]

That seems strange that someone would say that because our other forms of entertainment are also based on fiction - movies, television, etc.

 

[Wells83]

I think reading in general is practically obsolete as a form of entertainment compared to what it used to be. With the invention of radios, televisions, computers, etc., a great number of people no longer read for enjoyment anymore.

I read an article in my local paper recently and I can't remember the statistics exactly, but it was something like only 37% of American adults read for pleasure. Of that 37%, they only read, on average, four books annually.

That being said, do I think fiction itself will be obsolete? No. There may not be as much of a need for it, but I don't see it disappearing completely.

That seems strange that someone would say that because our other forms of entertainment are also based on fiction - movies, television, etc.

Great point. I automatically assumed he was referring to literature. Your POV opens up a whole new discussion.

 

[ewomack]

Do you have a link to the actual interview? Roth is a smart man, and I'd like to read the quote in context before commenting on it...

I found it on YouTube (sorry, I can't get to YouTube now since my work blocks it) - search on Philip Roth interview. If I remember right, it's in two parts and was from 60 minutes. Good interview.

 

[SFG75]

I believe that fiction will always have a niche. How many MFA programs are there at universities? With so many unemployable people being churned out, I fail to see how fiction won't be around for a long time to come.

 

[Polynikes]

I haven't watched the interview yet, but it depends on the context of "fiction."

If he was talking about written fiction (novels, novellas, and short stories), then he could very well be right. As society becomes more dependent on electronics, we care less about reading. There will still be those who read, of course, but I foresee that number declining into a very small fraction of the populace. We can make a parallel to the days of spoken tale telling (which created such masterpieces as Beowulf). When writing became universal, we saw the death of that art. Now that television has become universal, we will slowly see the tragic demise of literature. But not without a fight.

As for "fiction" in the broadest sense of stories and legends, that's a crock. As long as imagination and ennui exist, we will have fiction.