DUMBING DOWN CL

This is a collection of essays which confront the decline in American life, art and thought, once so full of richness and vitality. The contributors speculate on the reasons why a vibrant legacy of knowledge, tradition and competence came to be so rapidly squandered. Can this "dumbing down" be halted or reversed? The 22 essays address such developments with vigour, wit, common sense and urgency. The contributors include critics and commentators Philip Loparte, Cynthia Ozick, Wendy Kaminer, Francine Prose, Sven Birkerts, George F. Kennan, Brad Leithhauser and John Simon. Although they are varied in their concerns and political allegiances, they are united in their dismay on witnessing a culture in the process of dissolution.