Vivien Miss: Would Electronic Databases and Digitalised Texts Ultimately Replace the Traditional Book Format? A Review on Texts for Reader by John Jowett

Nowadays the Internet penetrated so much into our lives that we arrange most of our duties and businesses online. But is the exclusive use of electronic databases profitable for scholarly studies and academic research? Is it really sufficient to rely solely on electronic sources and databases? Would electronic databases and digitalised texts ultimately replace the traditional book format? These are questions that John Jowett investigated and analysed in one chapter of his work, Shakespeare and Text.

Jowett argues that digitalised texts are very useful for academic research, and he provides strong arguments for the utility of digital databases. He emphasises the easy searchability of electronic texts and files (165), as, indeed, we can easily browse within digitalised texts by pressing keyboard shortcuts, and we immediately find the desired passages, but the task is more time-consuming in the case of a book. Jowett also points out that “the hierarchy of material is not rigidly set” (164) in the case of electronic sources, but as he observes, we can arrange them according to our own personal needs (164), and we can also “separate electronic files” (Jowett 164) as we would like to. Jowett also states that the huge electronic data storage creates the possibility of huge realms of documentation (164), and that we can easily compare certain texts or use multiple ones at the same time, as “they can be displayed on-screen in any combination” (Jowett 164). Another reason to use digitalised copies, according to Jowett, is that we may not only utilise static images, but also moving images, sound recordings or even entire films for our scholarly works (165).

Another argument that Jowett provides is that books are ecologically inefficient (168), meaning that several trees have to be cut to supply typography. Consequently, as Jowett states, buying a book is more expensive than reading a free document online (168), unless if we want to use electronic databases that cannot be accessed without paying a certain amount of money.  Similarly, searching the Internet and using online databases is much easier and faster than going to the library and searching for the necessary books.

To cite Jowett, “it is not inevitable that the modes of reading associated with complete electronic projects will put an end to the reading of Shakespeare’s plays as literary and dramatic works” (168). He concludes that the purpose of digitalised texts and electronic editions is not to replace the original text format, but to create ways that supplement the activity of reading (168). However, Jowett emphasises that no single format exists that would satisfy all kinds of needs (163). Electronic databases have just as much advantages and disadvantages as books. I acknowledge that the Internet, electronic databases and digitalised texts make our lives much easier, but I also think that we should simultaneously encourage and preserve love for books, not just because of health issues, but also for that books are valuable treasures, and they should be treated as such. I do not see that books would be completely replaced by digitalised texts in the near future – or at least I hope they would not be -, for hopefully, a love for books would always remain.

Vivien Miss

Works cited

Jowett, John. Shakespeare and Text. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print.