Is the Written Word a Dying Art Form?

Let’s go back in time, way back to the stone age. Our cavemen ancestors invented the idea of “writing”, which as far as I’m concerned is a far bigger discovery than penicillin, gravity, or anything else that’s mentioned alongside the great discoveries. Back then it was a necessity to communicate, and went on very fast to become a sign of great intelligence, then it turned out that being able to read and write was actually something only the upper classes could do. How things have changed (slightly).

What saddens me is the prospect that the art of the written word is dead. Back when Shakespeare and Wilde were around the concepts of poetry and stage plays were the modern-day cinema. Shakespeare’s Macbeth, for example, was competing with public executions for the title of “most popular entertainment form.” Now a Shakespearean production would only realistically attract a group of 200 or so college students who need to sit an exam in the summer.

Putting aside my opinions on Shakespeare (for now at least, I’m sure I’ll mention his influence more and more in the future), I move on in my argument and bring in a very good friend of mine. He’s a poet, an author etc, but he was born in 1992 and missed out on the golden age by a few centuries.

Those who read his current novel give only positive comments and praise, but will a real success be drawn from this in today’s age of technology? He actually wrote a poem recently for a girl he was fond of (and still is I believe) and she’s an exception to the norm, she appreciates such works of art, but 99 out of 100 people would rather receive a nice text message than a hand-written poem.

Am I alone here? I mean does anybody really care about this? I’m willing to begin the revival of popular writing, and I need people behind me, people like all of you.

Article Author: Damian Scollegato

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