The end of literature as we know it?

6) Will novels eventually be considered to be something of the past?

I do not believe novels will ever be considered something of the past. While it is fully possible that a computer dependent society would abandon tangible things in favor of an internet based world, the experience of holding a book in your hand, and reading something that will not irreversibly damage your eyes is a much more personal, and realistic way of reading than staring at a glowing computer screen for hours on end, while following an entire story or novel. While I do admitt that I have completely fallen into the trend of living our lives through technology there are still some things that exist in the real world which I consider to be of value. The enjoyment of a hand held book happens to be one of them. I do not believe that humans will one day prefer scrolling down a web page to follow their favorite character's lives rather than turn the pages of a novel. There are many advantages to holding and reading a book such as the fact that you can stop partially through and go back to the exact page where you left off. On a website one would be stuck scrolling for an eternity, trying to find their last place. Also, authors sometimes lay out books a specific way, so it looks a certain way, and will be read accordingly. Websites would compltely mess up the way an author decides they would like their page to look, and this may take away from the intensity of the written lines. All in all there is nothing that could overrun the experience of holding this adventure in your hands as you read page to page. I do not believe the internet will ever cause the book to become extinct. There will always be people who appreciate and enjoy the real thing rather than an internet simulated version of something, and I happen to be one of those people.