O papel do romance

The anxiety over literature felt by writers, publishers, and readers is exacerbated by the fact that rival media are increasingly co-opting literary techniques once thought to belong solely to the novel. A slow edging out can be discerned, then projected all the way to replacement. Television is at the forefront of this movement. It’s been so successful that a 2014 New York Times essay asked, “Are the New ‘Golden Age’ TV Shows the New Novels?” I’ve heard the refrain personally, often from people who a generation ago would have been dedicated readers. Just recently a friend of mine, leaning against my bookshelf, asked, “Why should I read novels? I can satisfy any yearnings I have for fiction with TV. It’s just so damn good now.”