James Joyce and the e-reader

If I had absolute control, I would never read on a screen. Everything would magically and immediately appear on paper, and when I was finished it would immediately disappear and the paper would somehow be recycled.

When I read for pleasure, I use only codex books (mostly novels) and the thought of not holding a cozy book in my hands is unsettling. I like how hard-copy books smell. I like how the pages feel. Am I a nutcase? Maybe. Although reading the other blog posts this week is making me think we're all (forgive the pun) on the same page. 

To be entirely honest, though, I did make a short foray into e-reading. 

When I first made the transition from flip phone to smart phone about five years ago, I downloaded an e-reading app. Now, I'm not proud of my logic, but one of the first books I got on this app was James Joyce's Ulysses. In a way, it makes sense: I didn't have to carry a giant book around with me. But then again, what was I thinking? That I could curl up in front of a fireplace and plough through a literary masterpiece on my phone?

As a side note, I still haven't finished Ulysses, in electronic versions or otherwise.

I used that app for maybe a month. There is something I like about physical books. I have a system where I'll take a book out of the library, read it, and if I like it enough I'll buy my own copy. There is also a special place on my shelf for books that I consider essential to my existence as a human being. I know it sounds dramatic, but that's how I think about it.

Regardless, there really is no way to escape the fact that a student’s world does not revolve without on-screen reading.

During my undergrad, I took a course in socio-cultural and linguistic anthropology. For a first-year course, there was what at the time felt like a lot of reading. We had to buy a course pack that was both expensive and heavy. But I loved having paper copies of the articles. In most of my other courses since, the readings, when not from a textbook or novels, have been online. I don’t print them off because it’s time-consuming and kills a lot of trees. But I do feel like I retain information better when I read it on paper.

If I traveled, I would buy an e-reader. As it is, I think I'll just pack the occasional suitcase full of codex books.