[Opinion] “Reading Culture”

An established theory of character’s invention is that it is born for communication among people far from each other. It is said that character is finally created after repeatedly sending letters through pictures and knots. Men could train themselves to compress and arrange logical meanings only after using characters. So it could be said that characters create human thoughts and knowledge. Whereas it was an “age of letters” before the advent of film and TV, now it is changed to an “age of images” that seems even to be unilateral.

Teens are always answering “I just like them” when asked why they are enthusiastic about popular stars. Whereas the established generation wants to hear a specific explanation, teens are already accustomed to judging their likes and dislikes from whole images, and they approach them in a sensual way. It is not only wondrous but also quite worrisome how their basic way of thinking, such as logic and concepts, will be formed when those who have closed themselves to the mass media made of images enter their 40s and 50s. As shown in “the appearance–for-appearance principle,” a social phenomenon in which only outward appearance is taken seriously, and inward human values are ignored, is closely related to an alienation of “reading culture” and an unbalanced favor for “image culture.”

The president of Seoul National University, Chung Un-chan, proposed setting questions from 100 selected classic books in an essay test of the university beginning next year. This idea to make students read seems to come from the fact that they indeed do not read. Favoring film was also distinguished in last year’s survey of cultural nostalgia conducted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Other cultural areas could not escape dullness. Of course, it is a matter for congratulation that the Korean film industry has made rapid progress. But a shadowy side should not be obscured as a bright side of culture stands out.

An age of images seems to be the solid mainstream. However, it should not be misunderstood that effective values of “reading culture” have disappeared. As practical studies are spurred when humane studies become active, Korean films can develop further when a number of cultural areas, including “reading culture,” develop evenly. There is also a responsibility of those who are engaged in other cultural areas. It is another problem that people are not interested in the crisis of humane studies and culture while they worry about the crisis of science and engineering.

Hong Chan-sik, editorial writer chansik@donga.com