Fast forward almost thirty years to a fourteen year I knew who almost threw the book down because of the background. Where was the action? Why was this included? Was it necessary?
Probably not. But when I asked her what the rush was she said that she just didn't see the need for this "stuff".
I got to participate in a fascinating discussion on whether books are dying out because of TV, movies, and things like graphic comics. That the thought of sitting down with a book on a rainy afternoon was becoming a think of the past and soon...books would go the way of the horse and buggy. People do not want to invest the time and energy of reading a book.
I said I do not believe so because people will always need heros, but of the 15 people in the room, I was the only one who thought the "novel" was not on the endangered species list.
You’re jaded. :->
But seriously, you have a good point. Novels are not endangered, I don’t think, but sometimes it seems like they’re being pushed away, into a niche market. When you consider that there’s more population now, you’d expect a bigger market for novels.
Internet, gaming, movies, they’re putting a hurting on reading in general. I guess there’s too much competition for our free time.
As for description, people (myself included) need to slow down and read it. But the attention-impaired probably find it hard to read.