Ted,

I just read “The Gutenberg Elegies” by Sven Birkerts, probably the most anti-ebook exposition I’ve encountered (with maybe the exception of Mark Bauerlein’s”The Dumbest Generation” or Chris Hedges’s “Empire of Illusion”), a work that’s probably dated in terms of the old misconceptions of eliteracy it actively employs: such as that it lacks depth, is ahistorical and reduces reading to flimsy ‘lateral’ thought processes.

I’d like a more balanced approach, more attuned to the economic, philosophical and linguistic underpinnings of any true debate on this topic. Would you happen to know of any recently published works that offer a more comprehensive, research-based approach to eliteracy?

Indeed an interesting question Conrad. Finding a middle ground in this discourse is very difficult. Quite cutting edge actually. Have you read Janet Murray’s Hamlet on the Holodeck – same era as Birkerts’ text and the other side to the argument. My current PhD is on this issue of what the future for literature, the book and book culutre might be. I have read Birkerts book and, while an interesting read, certainly seems outdated in a web 2.0 world. Andrew Keen’s fairly recent text is of the same ilk, but poses some intersteing questions as does Jonathon Zittrrain’s and Sherman Young’s work. You might also check out Henry Jenkins stuff. There is some research coming out now about the impact of e-readers and ebooks, but again this is fairly new stuff. Would be interested in hearing of your work.