Molly Puckett - Thoughts on Reading and Storytelling


I recently had a conversation with a professor who was pondering the question of why the modern generations read less. Why are some (maybe most) modern students unwilling to read assigned academic readings? Why do an increasing percentage of young adults avoid reading? Is this an issue that begins at an early age? Does the way that early primary education teaches reading skills affect how students view books? Does a dislike of reading equate to a dislike in stories and storytelling? I think that books are doorways to another universe. Each book tells a different story about a different hero, each more complex than the last. But, what if our generation of storytellers is moving to a different platform? Movies and tv-shows are consumed at an increasing rate in our modern times. More movies are being produced. Many of these movies are adaptations of books, which may end up being more popular than the original artifact. I just wonder if our times are changing so drastically that we will lose the art of literary storytelling. Historically, we have practically lost all oral storytelling (except for very small communities). Will literary storytelling bear the same fate?

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