Is Life Like a Book or a Smart Phone? Why Form in Fiction Matters

Rob Wittig's 17 minute video lecture, recorded for a TEDx event at the University of Minnesota / Duluth, lays out some ideas about connections between the design of printed books and a particular idea of life in contemporary culture, in contrast to a model of life based on postmodern ideas of identity. He also references the context of literary history in considering the forms of literature that might be suited to a culture of multitasking and smart phones, at one point comparing Don Quixote to a contemporary gadget-obsessed digital native. The talk and accompanying slideshow provide a useful introduction to some important questions about the relationship between contemporary technologies and literary form.