Question 9- Essay Topic: Images and Books

Upon viewing this week’s blogging question, I was a bit overwhelmed. My paper topic has not quite been well-developed. However, from what I have considered, the general premise may be put forward. I wish to research the significance of images in books and how they substantially alter one’s experience. For instance, in some ways one might say that an image can positively or negatively shape imagination. On the one hand pictures can rouse insight, while on the other hand they may limit creativeness. An image leaves little interpretation and becomes the accepted visual cue. In particular, it is interesting to note that images in books are common in kids’ stories and novels, yet children are the ones with a strong imagination, and do not necessarily require such aids. While it may be true that images help stimulate the seemingly stale pattern of words, should children’s books really be so heavily visual, potentially hampering their creativity and inventiveness? Alternatively, perhaps images are beneficial as an encouragement to fantastical thoughts. At the very least, pictures can create a means to identify with the characters. As a whole, this dual nature shall be an aspect I hope to explore.


Similarly, I shall examine why we consider images in books to reflect the level of maturity of the container. Principally, how has an image in a book become synonymous with age and why are images less common in more adult genres? Certainly, in such a visual culture, with the abundance of video games, movies, and television shows, images would appear to more appropriate for all demographics. In fact, with the increasing use of technology and the internet, it may even be argued that “images” have already become dominant within our books. Essentially, pages in E-book readers and on the web are images; they are reproductions of the original paper based page, made into an electronic presentation.


In addition, the new incentives to purchase such future technologies all form around an increased interactivity and an ability to manipulate the “image.” Within these future applications a more engaging and enthralling experience is provided through visual elements. Not only are we able to view these reproductions on innovative devices, but also our familiarity with the object is heightened through animations and graphic accoutrements. The future of the book is undoubtedly becoming a different optical experience. In many ways, the unexciting original is more frequently replicated in a unique and sensorial manner. Overall, with any luck, my paper shall effectively survey these concepts and present the implications of visual imagery in books.