Blog 3, First Book Project.

For those of us who absolutely adored The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, we long for more interaction. The book ends rather openly, with the surviving of the circus being apparent. This is proven with the ending, where the 2nd point of view gives you a card with Baily@nightcircus.com when most of the book took place in the early 20th century. I have thought of a grand idea to extend the interaction.

"The circus arrives without warning" (Morgenstern 2), one of the most famous lines of the book. I think that we can bridge the gap between fiction and reality with the creation of the actual night circus. The book can become what is real, not just a fantasy.

The Night Circus has a heavy emphasis on setting, for it is what is used to progress the story. The setting is obviously a circus, but it is no ordinary circus. The circus has a strict color scheme of black and white, to give the feeling of being in a dream. The idea of a dream is very crucial to The Night Circus. "We lead strange lives, chasing our dreams around from place to place." (Morgenstern 440)

The circus is composed of black and white tents, with each one holding their own unique experience.
The tents can vary in size, from being only a few meters tall to being upwards of 25 meters. Their cloth is painted with simple black and white stripes. There is no detailed left untouched, even the ground is painted in such a way that it mimics the stripes. The center piece is the bonfire, although rather than putting out the familiar color of orange and red, it spits out white fire. The bonfire later becomes  a key element to the story.

How would this creation become reality? Well there are some tents that use "magic", which is obviously fictional, but the structures, the performances, the atmosphere can be created. "This is not magic. This is the way the world is, only very few people take the time to stop and note it." (Morgenstern 504). The construction would be relatively simple, you would just need regular circus tents that are painted a different color. On thing that would prove rather difficult is that in The Night Circus, the circus travels.

Sketch of The Night Circus:

 

I believe this would widen the audience of the book immensely. When people can experience tangible references to something they love, their connection only grows stronger. It also allows new visitors to experience the setting first, and then they can read about the back story. If such a place could be created, it would be the closet thing to a dream you could experience

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

post #2 What is a book?

Let me begin with my definition of a book: I define a book as ideas that are recorded. I worded that so broadly so I could include art books, graphic novels, children books, plays, manuscripts, really anything that can be recorded. Books are a way of expressing ideas and concepts, and I believe that it doesn't matter what form you read the information in. It could be an Ipad or a 50 year old book, you're still receiving the same information. It would be similar to saying "Well I don't listen to my Ipod because I don't have the physical CD, it doesn't feel the same." It doesn't matter how you listen, you're still listening.

I must admit, I am a bit of an amateur collector of many things, Including classic books, comic books, and graphic novels. There is no way you could ever brag about having Volume one of a superman comic in your digital library. The physical aspect of a book matters almost exclusively to collectors or the super controlling reader. You could still read a comic book in digital form, you'd still receive the same information, just not the same sentimental level. The digital copy of "Lord of the Flies" will contain the same story, same characters, same setting as the physical copy, with the only exception of you not being able to hold it.

Another point to be made is the welfare of the author. You might argue that the author's vision isn't realized when it's read online, I'd argue the opposite. When it comes to digital publishing, the author has an extremely high chance of the book being published, being their own work. With physical copies, the author must go through a publisher, which often contains an editor who cuts and rips out parts of the story to try to maximize profits. Which one would you prefer? I would rather my work be my own than for a man to mutilate my work in the name of greed. But hey, that's just me.

Digital copies also make it more convenient for travelers and people who are generally busy. If you decide to read a physical copy, you must carry the physical copy, sit down, and read. With a digital copy, you can carry hundreds of books, all at your finger tips. If you have the digital copies of say an Ipad, you can mix in reading with your entertainment device, which might attract people who don't read much.