Are Books Still 'Different'?

Literature as Culture and Commodity in a Digital Age

Corinna Norrick-Rühl author Caroline Koegler author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:23rd Feb '23

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Are Books Still 'Different'? cover

This Element offers a unique interdisciplinary exploration of literature as culture and commodity in a digital age.

This Element inquires into the notion of 'difference' in relation to books, offering a unique interdisciplinary exploration of literature as culture and commodity in a digital age. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.The famous 1962 precedent at the Restrictive Practices Court of the United Kingdom, 'Books are different,' is still the reasoning behind many cultural policies around the world, building on longstanding assumptions surrounding 'the book'. As this suggests, the 'difference' of the book as a unique form of cultural (rather than economic) production has acquired a powerful status. But are books still different? In (somewhat provocatively) asking this question from a network-oriented and interdisciplinary perspective (book studies/literary studies), this Element inquires into the notion of 'difference' in relation to books. Challenging common notions of 'bibliodiversity,' it reconsiders the lack of diversity in the publishing industry. It also engages with the diversifying potentials of the digital literary sphere, offering a case study of Bernardine Evaristo's industry activities and activism, the Element concludes with thoughts on bookishness, affect and networked practice. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

ISBN: 9781108987127

Dimensions: 177mm x 126mm x 7mm

Weight: 120g

75 pages