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Welcome

I started this blog in 2013 to share my reflections on reading, writing and psychology, along with my journey to become a published novelist.​  I soon graduated to about twenty book reviews a month and a weekly 99-word story. Ten years later, I've transferred my writing / publication updates to my new website but will continue here with occasional reviews and flash fiction pieces, and maybe the odd personal post.

ANNE GOODWIN'S WRITING NEWS

Is reading onscreen different to reading in print?

27/2/2017

10 Comments

 
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This month, my book group is reading George Eliot’s Romola. As out-of-copyright books often come in tiny print, I didn’t want to order a paperback and, by the time I got round to consulting the local library catalogue, it was too late to order it from a distant branch. So I did a very rare thing for me – actually Mr A kindly did it on my behalf – and downloaded the free digital version to read on his tablet.


With repetitive strain injury, I’ve barely used my Kindle, an earlyish version on which turning the page requires minimal – but nevertheless physically stressful – pressure on a button at the side. The swipe or touchscreen method on the tablet, so long as I do it in moderation, is much easier on my hands and arms. So I thought this would be doable, and looked forward to acquainting myself with one of this classic author’s lesser known novels.

Oh, but it was tedious! A lengthy prologue, followed by some turgid scene setting until, when we finally meet the cad who wants to wed the unworldly Romola, but isn’t above flirting with a gauche milkmaid on the side, there’s page after page of information-dumpy dialogue – I felt compelled to skim over much of it or I’d have thrown Mr A’s device across the room. When it told me I had almost ten more hours reading to go, I doubted I’d reach the end. The story, with cartoonish heroes and villains, might have been entertaining with
a thorough edit but, as it was, it was like opera with music that hurts your ears.

So what was the problem? Could it be that Romola is genuinely one of this author’s lesser works? Could it be that, despite having enjoyed Middlemarch (although it was a struggle when first introduced to it at school), Silas Marner and The Mill on the Floss many years ago, my focus on contemporary fiction means the meandering pace of the classic has lost its appeal? Or could it be the result of reading onscreen?
Many people prefer e-readers, especially for the convenience of storage, both at home and on the move. I’m glad they do as, published by a cash-strapped small press, we’re reliant on people reading digitally for many of the
reviews. I don’t believe those people who generously gave so much of their time to my words didn’t immerse themselves in the story. Yet an article by Ella Rhodes in The Psychologist cites research suggesting that we do read differently online:

Psychologists Maryanne Wolf and Mirit Barzillai have written that an immersion in reading that is largely online ‘tends to reward certain cognitive skills, such as multitasking, and habituate the learner to immediate information gathering and quick attention shifts, rather than to deep reflection and original thought. The immediacy and volume of available information may well delude new learners into thinking they have what they need to know.’ When information seems so complete, they write, what motivation is there to go beneath and beyond it? ‘From a cognitive neuroscience perspective, the digital culture’s reinforcement of rapid attentional shifts and multiple sources of distraction can short-circuit the development of the slower, more cognitively demanding comprehension processes that go into the formation of deep reading and deep thinking.’

… psychological studies led by Rakefet Ackerman at least suggest that readers approach the printed word with more of a learning mindset than they might on a screen version.


Ella Rhodes concludes that

Perhaps the destination is the same, and the bottom line is your preference for how you get there. Screen and print reading are perhaps best viewed as complementary, rather than competing, entities – clearly there are benefits to both.


So what do you think? Do you read differently on the page from how you read on screen? I’m looking forward to seeing how the other members of my book group read Romola. Meanwhile, click on the image to check out the reviews of the eight novels and one short story collection I’ve showcased this month.
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Thanks for reading. I'd love to know what you think. If you've enjoyed this post, you might like to sign up via the sidebar for regular email updates and/or my quarterly Newsletter.
10 Comments
Charli Mills
27/2/2017 08:02:03 pm

Great topic! I'm not sure I read differently, cognitive-wise, online, but I certainly read more online. My hands have difficulty keeping books open or held and my Paperwhite Kindle is perfect for uninterrupted, deep reading. I've always been one to read with a dictionary or other books, and when it comes to historical research I still prefer having 10 books plus my phone for reading, and looking up other bits of information. I've collected more online and have learned to save and read PDFs on my Kindle so that might shift, though I doubt it. Online or not, my brain does pause to think and I can sit, staring out the window "processing."

Two things I like about my Paperwhite: the screen is easy on my eyes; I don't have internet capacity (beyond downloading books and files) so I can't get distracted by social media pop-ups.

Reply
Annecdotist
1/3/2017 12:07:18 pm

You’re a great example of thoughtful reading onscreen, Charli. I don’t think my hands could easily support the weight of a book for very long, but I read on a recliner with my feet up and the book resting on a cushion. I’m sure it helps not being connected to the Internet. We all need our quiet times.

Reply
Luccia Gray link
28/2/2017 06:15:56 pm

I definitely read faster on my kindle than on paper and everyone I ask says the same. Not sure why. I'm sure experts will publish/are publishing on the reasons.
Regarding 19th century literature, and even XXth century, it's too wordy for contemporary readers. Those who are older, and got used to it in their youth, or have been trained to read, eg. Literature graduates, can cope, but others find it too unsatisfying and demanding.
I know it sounds presumptuous, but every time I read them now, I think any contemporary editor would cut out at least 30% of the book. I recentry reread Rebecca, and there was so much repetition of the descriptions of the gardens at Mandelay it was maddening. Jane Austen tells, tells, and tells for over half of Persuasion. They're still two of my favourite novels, but they'd never be published in their original form today.
Contemporary readers are stressed/busy and have a no-nonsense approach to life and literature. As a reader I also feel like that. As a writer I'm learning to write clearer, more concise prose. It's an ongoing process!
Shorter is actually harder than longer. I had a US friend who used to say about writing reports: If I had more time I'd make it shorter!
Sorry for rambling. Fascinating topic.

Reply
Annecdotist
1/3/2017 12:03:59 pm

I agree with you about the classics, Lucy. I gave up on Romola at the 60% point, which was at least the length of a contemporary novel. With all the verbiage, I couldn’t help reading it with my editing head on and, with the eponymous heroine not introduced until chapter 9, I couldn’t see this attracting a publisher these days. Even though I am older and learned to read the classics when I was younger!
I also agree that it’s harder to write concisely but I’ve learned to love the editing process and watching the word count going down.

Reply
Paula link
2/3/2017 02:07:43 am

I know we read differently online - but I read a lot of Eliot in graduate school, and if you're mostly reading contemporary fiction it's quite a shift. On top of that I am pretty darn sure Romola was one of the sloggiest. Middlemarch was a struggle - though it is easier I think when you are older and understand the nuances of character and disappointment life offers. But Romola was much as you describe. Ponderous, plodding, and not able to stand up to the test of time.

Reply
Annecdotist
2/3/2017 05:56:11 pm

Thanks for adding your wisdom, Paula. I wondered if in some ways Romola was an earlier version of the ideas that went into Middlemarch, with the political shenanigans and the intelligent woman constrained by her devotion to lesser men.
Thanks for sharing.

Reply
Sarah
5/3/2017 05:14:44 pm

I love the convenience and storage of my kindle but I much prefer books. And, as far as editing goes, that is something I simply cannot do on a screen. A lot of people use the notes in word or simply type in corrections but I can't read that way so, I'm assuming from that, reading for enjoyment is affected by screens, too. ?

Reply
Annecdotist
7/3/2017 02:28:14 pm

Interestingly, I actually can revise onscreen and have used the review mode in Word to work with my editor. But I do like a printout in the end, especially when I’m submitting short stories that no-one else has read.
I’ve just received the printed proof of my next novel today so I’m looking forward to checking out what we might have missed on the screen.

Reply
Norah Colvin link
23/5/2017 11:01:35 am

I missed this one initially, Anne, so I'm grateful to you for linking to it in your current post. I read more books onscreen or by listening now than I do on paper. Though I do prefer paper picture books. :) Each has its advantages and disadvantages, but for me, the alternative formats allow me to read more than I would otherwise. The disadvantage of both is that it's difficult to go back and "re-read". In fact, I find it practically impossible with audiobooks, so if I miss something, I miss something. They don't have the same smell or feel of paper books either. I thought I'd never adjust but I have, and enjoy the flexibility of the approaches. I'm not sure about thinking differently in each mode.

Reply
Annecdotist
23/5/2017 04:01:05 pm

Thanks for checking out this older post, Norah. I hadn’t thought of picture books but I’m sure they’re much better in print. And thanks for the reminder of audio – it’s a great device for listening in the car. I don’t make many long journeys now but used to love catching a play on the radio while driving.

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