Twenty-first-century culture is obsessed with books. In a time when many
voices have joined to predict the death of print, books continue to
resurface in new and unexpected ways. From the proliferation of
"shelfies" to Jane Austen-themed leggings and from decorative pillows
printed with beloved book covers to bookwork sculptures exhibited in
prestigious collections, books are everywhere and are not just for
reading. Writers have caught up with this trend: many contemporary
novels depict books as central characters or fetishize paper and print
thematically and formally.
In Bookishness, Jessica Pressman examines the new status of the book
as object and symbol. She explores the rise of "bookishness" as an
identity and an aesthetic strategy that proliferates from store-window
décor to experimental writing. Ranging from literature to kitsch
objects, stop-motion animation films to book design, Pressman considers
the multivalent meanings of books in contemporary culture. Books can
represent shelter from--or a weapon against--the dangers of the digital;
they can act as memorials and express a sense of loss. Examining the
works of writers such as Jonathan Safran Foer, Jennifer Egan, Mark Z.
Danielewski, and Leanne Shapton, Pressman illuminates the status of the
book as a fetish object and its significance for understanding
contemporary fakery. Bringing together media studies, book history, and
literary criticism, Bookishness explains how books still give meaning
to our lives in a digital age.
