Franzen On My Mind

I just finished reading Johnathan Franzen’s 1996 Harper’s Essay in which he laments the state of America and the American novel. While much of his essay was beyond my level of comprehension, the basic ideas are so poignant and in a way electrifying.

We are living in a culture now where most people don’t even have the time to pick up a novel and get lost in a world that will not only inspire them but also better them in ways that television and cinema cannot. A book forces your mind to create the world which it is describing; exercising your imagination and processing the knowledge in a way that will cement it and prompt other thought. There is a give and take between the written word and the reader; an interaction that is impossible between a screen and the eyes that view it. In our culture we are so used to instant gratification that the stimulation of a good read seems almost lost. Why read a book for a week when you can watch a movie in two hours? Why write your own stories when you are conversing with friends online and can be done with the click of a button as soon as you are bored.

He discusses that for how advanced we are technologically, it is this advancement that in many ways strips away the things that make us human. The ability to process, analyze and argue are things that I for one wish I did more often. I have found myself so many times walking out of movies and being prone to over-analyzation that others just don’t want to take part of. I go excessively in this direction many times, especially when I am attempting to analyze the character development of such movie gems such as “Failure to Launch”. Pointless. But is all of this “pointless” entertainment useless?

Can any artistic sensibilities be nurtured by average television programming? I think most people’s answers would be a resounding no. Then why are we so drawn to it? Yes it is a form of escape and being such an avid movie fan, I love to be able to escape into a visual world just as much as the next person. However, when the average American spends maybe two hours a day with the television at least on in the background, that time could be spent reading. Franzen factually states that in 1945 the average educated American read twenty-five books a year versus the five that the average American reads now. It is now looked at as some “elitist” activity when really it should be incorporated back into everyone’s life. I for one do not read nearly enough, but this essay was such an eye-opener to me I thought I would try to process my thoughts on it by writing. I only wish I could do it justice. Go buy his essay book “How To Be Alone” and see what it sparks in you.