In The Independent Howard Jacobson's column is headlined: Suddenly everyone wants to talk about books, but nobody wants to read them -- though the piece itself suggests things aren't quite so bad -- yet.
But he does wonder:
Still, he does suggest:
But he does wonder:
what if the "literary event" is poised to take over from actually reading a book, and what if the feverish output is the final paroxysm before decease ?And in The Guardian Charlotte Higgins reports on his Edinburgh International Book Festival appearance -- reporting: Howard Jacobson attacks the dearth of 'good readers' (though, again, the 'attack' isn't quite as bad as that suggests).
Still, he does suggest:
The language of sympathy and identity and what we call political correctness is killing the way we read.(Of course, I worry about any prescription and proscription of 'how to read' -- for the most part I think people should read however the bloody hell they want, and that there are few 'wrong' ways of reading (though of course he has a point that insofar it is proscriptive (i.e. itself demands a specific way of reading), 'political correctness' certainly has deleterious effects and nasty consequences on reading (and writing).)