Lately I've become interested in the way that references to technology, slang words or even the way people act puts books, movies and tv shows in a particular time.
Have you ever heard of a tv show called Daria? Maybe not, but it's a great example of how this happens. If you watch an episode of the show, you'll see the characters talking on the phone and using beepers... cellphones weren't really common yet.
The ideas behind the show itself haven't changed much, but the technology really places it.
This kind of thing happens a lot in books too.
I recently read The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan. It's a fantastic book. But some of the language and references to technology got me thinking. What will this book read like in 10 years? It's quite hard to write a story without mentioning stuff like technology if it's an important part of your plot. But at the same time, the lack of familiar technology is something which gives books like the Harry Potter series an edge. It's written in language which mostly trancends time. So it still seems like it could have been written today, even though the first book was published over 10 years ago.
Publishers know this too. The Famous Five have been rewritten for a newer audience with the language completely changed. No more jolly hockeysticks and lashings of gingerbeer for these 21st century kids. Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys have also morphed into something more modern, and Papercutz has even created a graphic novel range to tempt non-reading kids along for the ride. Other series have been edited and re-edited over the years to make them more palatable for the new reading public.
So it's kind of interesting to read books and think - what will this be like to read in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years?
By the way, have you been wondering what a beeper was? 10 points if you didn't go away and Google it immediately. Yes, I linked to Wikipedia. But Beepers are now so uncommon outside of the critical messaging market that they don't really have many pages any more. Hmm...
