The Evolution of Reading

The evolution of reading and the reality that reading today is governed by speed and not attention is a major challenge for informed intellectual and historical understanding. The same challenge applies to painting and the need to gaze for more than a few seconds at the works people see in galleries and museums. The problem is attention span and there is no greater issue for contemporary practices of literature and art than understanding how to maintain attention for a long enough time that perception, thought and insight can be given time to develop.