That small, dwindling elite minority, the reading class...

The phrase is from The Shallows: what the Internet is doing to our brains by Nicholas Carr.

Turns out reading physical books creates a certain kind of brain, different from that emerging in the generations developing in the Internet age who receive information off the various electronic devices, and hardly in any other way. Carr's book mentions a philosophy major who claims not to read books at all, relying on snippets of "relevant" information instead, and a professor of English literature who can't get her students to read "whole books".

Readers were always in a minority. There was a boom in printed literature lasting through the last century, just like there was a boom in household pianos when people had to make their own music. But still, most people didn't have the luxury of curling up with a tome on a regular, let alone frequent basis.

So maybe nothing much is different, except that deep readers better get ready to rule the world when the Internet-brains devolve completely into chattering scatterbrained morons.

But still, most people didn't have the luxury of curling up with a tome on a regular, let alone frequent basis.

They might, it they'd throw their goddam attention-draining, brain wave zapping iPhones, etc., off of the roof.

It wasn't long ago that folks used to look at my shelves and bemoan the fact that they didn't have time to read, but then they could go on for hours about every little plot twist on "Dynasty".

Oh, yeah. Carr notes the previous "dangers" to the book: the phonograph, the radio, television... The difference is that before, once you decided to sit down and read, the physical book (newspaper, whatever) would be it, whereas now the book and "deep reading" competes with a new medium with in-built distraction. For the first time since people started to read in private, for themselves, the WAY one reads is changing (changing in the mainstream, for the majority).

By the way, are Rhodes scholars something respectable? That philosophy major who only reads snippets, Joe Somebody, is one. I wonder whether Joe will contribute much to philosophy, or get a job commenting on Fox News...

are Rhodes scholars something respectable?

Two that come to mind are Bill Clinton and Kris Kristofferson. Your call.

I don't know anything about Kristofferson (what was that Western movie by Malick I saw him in?), and more than I care to about Clinton, but overall, I think Joe will be lucky to keep a job in punditry, if, when...

By the way--Wall Street sees unrest, and where's unrest, can Molotovs be far away? The people still have SOME nerve!

I doubt this generation, who cannot read, know what a molotov is, let alone how to mix a good cocktail.

Interesting stuff on brain changes as a result of the internet and technology. I find more and more with my students, that they simply cannot concentrate for longer than about 3 minutes. It's like they looking for the next link, or something.

#6 I doubt this generation, who cannot read, know what a molotov is...or who Molotov was, and why he had a cocktail named after him.

I forgot about this, I meant to write something about reading On the art of writing by Arthur Quiller-Couch, Q, as he was known to his pupils and sundry.

But first a complete digression: it's true that when someone says "Cambridge", I associate immediately to Cavendish laboratories, Crick & Watson, Bloomsbury Apostles, and that's pretty much it; but still, I was surprised to read that the university didn't have a chair in English literature until--1910!

Because I find it interesting and hope some others may too, the history of lecture chairs at Cambridge:

1502--Divinity

1540--Divinity, Civil Law, Physic, Hebrew, Greek

1640 (cca)--Arabic

1640+ (cca)--Mathematics

1683--Moral Philosophy

1684--Music

1702--Chemistry

1704--Astronomy

1707--Anatomy, Modern History, "more" Arabic

1724--Botany

1727--Geology, Christian Advocate (?)

1749--"more" Astronomy

1777--"more" Divinity

1783--Experimental Philosophy

19th century--"more" Law, "more" Medicine, Mineralogy, Archaeology, Political Economy, Pure Mathematics, Comparative Anatomy, Sanskrit, "more more" Law

1869+(cca)--Latin, Fine Art, Experimental Physics, Applied Mechanics, Anglo-Saxon, Animal Morphology, Surgery, Physiology, Pathology, Ecclesiastical History, Chinese, "more" Divinity, Mental Philosophy, Ancient History, Agriculture, Biology, Agricultural Botany, "more" Biology, Astrophysics, German

1910--English Literature

I hope you'll get back to Quiller-Couch: I have that volume, and The Art of Reading on my shelf in some lovely old editions, but except for occasional dippings, have never spent serious time with them.