The
Gutenberg Paradox

The
Gutenberg Paradox

First Things First: What's a Gutenberg?

From my vague recollections of a docuseries I fell asleep to one evening, Johannes Gutenberg was a real person. He kicked about in Germany from 1400 to 1468 AD. He also built a version of the printing press that went viral. The simple version: he invented a device that allowed people to print books faster—like cheetah-speed faster—than anyone on the planet. Print more = distribute more. I bet those Bibles sold like wings on a Wednesday night. I assume porn distribution increased, too. Wildly, pornography saw a huge increase in distribution because of the print press. Go figure! (That will be a post.) What I do know is that Johannes Gutenberg is credited with changing the world. He was kind of a big deal.

In the same vein, Project Gutenberg a website that secures a trove of free-use eBooks, strives for mass publication of literary books. It's quite remarkable. If you ever felt like reading a book (pick your topic), you will likely find a decent eBook within minutes. No complaints from me about Project Gutenberg.

Nevertheless, I'm perplexed. Scroll halfway down the homepage (at the time of this post) and you'll spot "Frequently downloaded: Top 100, or ranked by popularity." From there, filter "Our Most Popular," which seems to be a running count of downloads year-to-date. T?????All but one in the Top 10 would be considered "in the Western canon." Here is the list of the top English novels (#1 was a Chinese text). How many have you read?

Picture it: you’re standing in a vast, dry desert landscape with thousands of books strewn in all directions. The sun creeps over the cactus horizon and the pearl-colored pages rustle in the wind. The books are for the taking, for free—just reach down and snatch one. Yet, as you begin to wander and browse, you notice something strange: The books appear unblemished; the pages pristine; the spines spectacular. The open book at your feet, spread open, has a solitary sentence abandoned mid-thought, like a forgotten whisper. Left unread. Another book; another abandoned sentence. Are they all like this? For the modern day reader, the answer is a resounding Yes. At least according to The Gutenberg Paradox. But first, what's a Gutenberg?

I've read all but three of them (I want to say I've read Middlemarch, but Dorethea's descriptions drag). Beside the link for download, Gutenberg lists the number of times downloaded, presumably year to date. For Frankenstein and Moby Dick, it shows 148,566 and 73,049 downloads, respectively. That's a lot of eBooks; and that's just this one website. While I don't have Amazon sales data, the physical (new or used) copies of those novels sold a fair amount, I'd imagine. Physical bookstores and library still exist, so they add to the overall total. All of that combined, the more only one question arises, "Where are these wraith readers, versed in American Romanticism and Gothic horror? Are they secretly toiling away in their basements every November, when their hypos get the upper hand, playing captain or doctor? Doubtful. Maybe they are creating monsters in thine own image, but we could estimate about 200,000 people obtain a copy of Frankenstein each year with another 100,000 for Moby-Dick.

To me, the download numbers could be attributed to a few reasons. These books are often required reading in high school, so students download copies, yet are unlikely readers. Bots and New Year's resolutions could account for a portion. But ultimately, one reason stands out: The Gutenberg Paradox.

The Gutenberg Paradox states that the more accessible literature becomes, the less we read it.

The paradox has three parts to it. First, like anything that becomes so ubiquitous and available, we attach less value to it. That's basic supply and demand. ??? The second explanation for the paradox is reflected in television shows on streaming services. I cannot be the only person who has consumed a show on a streaming service only to begin watching the pilot again six months later and think, "Haven't I seen this?" The sheer volume of television shows has never been higher. We now call shows "content," which I'm sure will be another post. The third is cultural cool points. For now, it partially, along with supply and demand, helps explain the paradox. But first, like all arguments, I need data.

The data prove me right. As the accessibility increases (green line), the percentage of readers (blue line) dwindles to the x-axis. Rarely are we witness to evidence this staggering and obvious. If it plays out, soon not even idealist, freshmen English majors will read the classics.

While this is factitious—and who knows what that word means?—I ask because I can't stop thinking about I Love Lucy. If you don't know this classic, black & white television show, then you're missing out. Here is a clip, completely out of context; however, I think comedy persists.

The Gutenberg Paradox

Write your text here...