Summary Of Never Do That To A Book By Anne Fadiman

In Anne Fadiman’s essay, “Never Do That to a Book,” she asserts that there are two different varieties of readers, pertaining to how they treat physical copies of books, “courtly” readers and “carnal” readers. According to Fadiman, courtly lovers of books treasure their physical form and seek to maintain their pristine condition while carnal lovers devour their volumes in more than a figurative sense. Carnal readers crave a tangible, sensory experience with their books, favoring hard physical use, personal commentary, and mementos to signify their experiences and connections with their prized volumes. However, with the emergence of electronic readers, both carnal and courtly readers must reexamine their relationships with books. In the coming

The lessons and stories that books tell have had the greatest impact on society, altering our views about morality, politics, race, class, gender, sexuality, and religion. While carnal and courtly readers treasure the physical form of their books (albeit in different ways), all true readers are enthralled with the inventive stories, lovable characters, and eloquent language hidden between the covers. Written language has been presented in many forms over its long history in human culture, from clay tablets in Mesopotamia to papyrus scrolls in ancient Egypt and printed copies in the fifteenth century to electronic reading devices in the twenty-first. It has also conveyed many diverse opinions, pieces of information, and stories. While the earliest Mesopotamian tablets contained information about inventory and trade, novels of the twenty and twenty-first centuries have pushed the boundaries of language in their storytelling. All the vast knowledge, wisdom, and even misgivings in books have tremendously impacted society. These works have altered our perceptions and changed the way we conduct our personal, intellectual, religious, and professional lives. Throughout its history, a book’s subject and message have remained its most essential

Traditionally, written material could only be read on printed books, but technology has enhanced our ability to access information; today, electronic books can be read on tablets, electronic readers, smart phones, and computers. Thousands of electronic books can be stored on a single device and e-books are generally less expensive due to lower production costs; moreover, many libraries also allow readers to “borrow” e-books on their devices. Just as new applications such as iTunes, Pandora, and Spotify have revolutionized and democratized the music industry, the book industry will also become more responsive to consumer needs. With Spotify and Pandora, consumers have almost unlimited access to music on their devices for free; electronic books will likely also follow this trend to become even less expensive and more accessible. Yet some music aficionados still treasure their CD and record collections. Likewise, while most readers will be attracted to more convenient, affordable electronics, many bibliophiles, courtly and carnal readers alike, will continue to cherish their books. As Fadiman notes in her essay, carnal readers feel sentimental about their books and want them to carry the physical reminders of their memories and connections. While electronic books cannot replace the sensory, tangible experience of physical copies, they will inevitably become more