Literary genre in the modern world : reading and the mass media

Abstract

Literature is defined as the art of writing, but it depends on reading. Its raw material, the written word, is at the same time its real dynamic force as well as its means of restriction. Writers have been proud of their medium, hut they have also shown a constant sense of frustration in the midst of so many other more inviting media. The writer is therefore basically anxious because of the very nature of his medium. Such anxiety is heightened owing to the competitive evolution of other media which, although making a partial but inevitable use of the word, go a long way ahead and attract greater audiences and exert a stronger impact.