The End of Literature?

In his article, The End, Boris Kachka quotes the author Dale Peck who states, "The system works just fine for commercial fiction. But for literary fiction, I think we had a nice run of it in the commercial world,” stated author Dale Peck. The quote, which appeared in Boris Kachka's article The End, speaks to fears about the future of literature in the digital age. 


In the article, Kachka describes how publishers are increasingly focusing on blockbusters rather than works of literature simply because blockbusters sell better (think Twilight or 50 Shades of Grey). Publishers are increasingly turning toward works that can be made into movies and accommodate multiple sequels. 


But does this imply that books with literary merit will become extinct? I tend to be optimistic. Literature as we know it may be losing ground, but I feel that this simply means that authors will have to adapt. Books today can still have literary merit, even if they begin as trade fiction. It will be interesting to see what changes take place within the literary canon in the next hundred years.