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CT MUSING: Be a Bronte in the digital age

Whether as a reader or a writer, you should always push for better quality content

2016 MARKS THE 200th birth anniversary of one of my favourite writers, Charlotte Bronte, which got me wondering - if she had existed in this era, would the highly acclaimed and equally reviled classic Jane Eyre ever have been written? What kind of audience would it have drawn?
First of all, unless you're a time traveller, I believe the atmosphere and tone of such a story cannot be created unless witnessed first hand. Even with Charlotte's tragic sister Emily and her only published novel Wuthering Heights - you can't help feeling there's a lingering element of truth - which is what makes us experience intensely not only the pain, love and tragedy portrayed in the story but also the feel of surroundings like the blustery moor where doomed lovers Heathcliff and Catherine went on their rambles.
Finding (and this is not me being condescending) a modern novel or piece of writing of such calibre which is both thought-provoking and engaging is becoming increasingly difficult. But on the flip side, are there many takers in this day and age for that kind of literary effort?
Today we are bombarded with all kinds of literature - ranging from the traditional - books, newspaper and magazine articles to the modern - blogs, social media posts and innovative news outlets like the Huffington Post and Buzz Feed. From the former, one can still single out memorable works that stay with you long after you read them. But sometimes with the latter, I feel the ability to connect on a deeper and more meaningful level has been lost.
And being a party to this too, I have to ask - why do I find myself glued to an article that tells me how I can get Cameron Diaz's latest look, rather than picking up, say, Jane Eyre for the second time?
In a recent conversation (admittedly more of an argument on my part) about electronic reading devices, an acquaintance commented on the slow death of the print world, and how perhaps with the proliferation of social media instruments like Twitter and Facebook, which can effectively convey news, viewpoints and other information, people's patience levels have dropped as far as reading longer pieces of writing are concerned.
As a journalist, writer and reader I agree that while moving with the times and giving people what they want is important (while also keeping track of monetary considerations), I also believe we are responsible for re-creating and expanding - that culture of reading and writing that dates back to before the Internet was invented.
There's no reason why the modern mindset regarding literary endeavours can't co-exist alongside the traditional - why youngsters, or people from any age group really, can't be persuaded to appreciate a longer and more literary piece of writing apart from indulging daily in the brevity and immediate satisfaction of social media hangouts. How to go about this drive for change is what we need to reflect on.
There are those, like me, who have personally experienced both eras, who happily survived their teenage years without the Internet, cellphones and other gadgets and devices that are as important to us as breathing today.
But even though today in both our personal and professional lives, the virtual world is almost inseparable from the real one, we can, as responsible connoisseurs of literature as an art form, make an effort to set standards that would be comparable to the ones people like Charlotte Bronte left behind.  (enid@khaleejtimes.com)