A recent New Yorker cover by cartoonist Daniel Clowes lampooned the modern state of reading. In the cover cartoon, a tweedy man of a certain age is in a bookstore that teems with literary tchotchkes. There are Mark Twain bobbleheads, Virginia Woolf canvas shopping bags, baseball caps expressing allegiance for Kerouac and Poe — yet only a small shelf devoted to books. The man's expression seems to communicate a downcast mood amid this environment. His drab outfit and pensive appearance contrasts with the youthful attendant, who is wearing bright clothing, a breezy smile and fashionable shoes.
This article appears in Dec 15-21, 2011.