Films vs Books

It's an ongoing argument heard by all english students across the country. Why read when we can watch a brief summary in a film? Don't get me wrong, I love films. They are a fantastic way to introduce ideas to a wide audience and I don't deny they have the power to influence and change the way you see the world. I vividly remember watching The Shawshank Redemption when I was thirteen years old. Many of my thoughts about crime and justice came from that film.

Film has a visual power which books cannot necessarily offer. In The Shawshank Redemption, you can't hide from the violence and the injustice which seeps through the storyline. Sometimes, when reading it is possible to hide from certain elements such as violence as you are focussing on other elements such as the style of writing. However, the beauty of reading is that you allow your imagination to do a part of the work.

 A film requires no effort on your part, but a book the author relies on your mind to see what he or she is trying to present as well as the words. Ultimately, words are not enough. You have to be open to the possibility of seeing something which is not directly in front of you. You have to be willing to imagine, which is a great skill.  Reading is a more drawn out process, which is why people often opt for the film version but this drawn out process gives you an opportunity to really consider the message or characters that are being portrayed. For an extended amount of time the thoughts of that character live with you, so they have time to brighten your day to day life or influence you in a far greater way.  Moreover, films can only capture an element of what that person feels. Actors do a fantastic job at emoting these feelings and thoughts, but it is only through reading that you can truly understand the exact thoughts of a character because they are written in front of you. Seeing those thoughts of figures who live a similar or completely different life experience to you gives you the opportunity to feel empathy which is why reading is so significant in society as a whole today, despite the progression of film.

I love both films and reading. I think they should go hand and hand and both the book and film industries aid one each other in becoming the best they can be. However, the idea that one should replace the other doesn't sit right with me and in my opinion doesn't do justice to either the film or the book. I understand its not always possible to read the book before you see the film or read it afterwards, but in general I feel it is a good idea to respect both and attempt to read as much as you watch film as what they offer to the mind is different, although fundamentally positive. 

What do I look for?

Sometimes I read a book and I can't point my finger on why I liked it. I know I loved it, but I can't think why. It has that je ne sais quoi which is past words. These are the moments that I treasure, because sometimes what a book offers you is more then can be put into words. However, in general I have found that I love a book when three elements come into perfect harmony and it is these three elements that I search for when I am trying to decide on my next book to read. 

1. Escapism. I want a story that will take me somewhere different, whether that be to a different time period, a fantastical place or simply make me forget that I am sitting in my bedroom or on a train. For me this is the beauty of reading. The fact I can be taken to so many place and can see so many different things and I don't have to carry a passport or go through hellish security.

2. Real Characters. Characters who become people they are so well written. For me, this is epitomised in the Harry Potter series where so ingrained did this character become in the psyche of so many of my generation that those iconic figures seem almost like friends I used to know. Picking up one of those books and re-reading them is like visiting an old memory. Even in that fantastical world, the characters became real because of the human elements that JK rowling provided. Ultimately, I want the author to make me care and only character development can do that. 

3. Purposeful plot. I don't want to know what is going to happen. I want to be suprised, shocked and scared. I want to feel as if it is leading somewhere that there is a purpose to this novel rather then just a description of a day's events. That plot can be simple or it can be complex. It just has to be going somewhere. It has to have an aim, whether that be to make me laugh, make me cry or make me think. If it manages to do one of those things I feel that the book has been worth my time. If it does all of them, it goes down in my mind as one of the best books ever written. 

I hope this offers more insight into what I look for, I was wondering what you look for in a book?