Have books gotten dumber over the years? Perhaps bestsellers have, but there are always fulfilling books available if you are willing to read a review or two to weed out the fluff.
I'm currently reading Michael Chabon's excellent Summerland, described by the author as a fantasy, based in the contemporary world, and set against a background of American myth, in the way that Puck of Pook's Hill and Susan Cooper's novels are set against a background of British and Celtic myth. It's definitely a quality work by one of my favorite authors, and I recommend it to everyone young and old.
Posted by david on November 19, 2002Ya, I remember hearing about a study where they counted the number of different words used in works of fiction in the past versus now, and the difference was staggering (only I can't now remember the figures).But they make a good point about the difference in who is reading books these days, because so many more people are well-educated now. In the nineteenth century, Charles Dickens was about as mainstream as books got, and now it seems that only English majors will read his stuff.
Posted by: James Riot on November 19, 2002 06:26 PM