Thomas Vinciguerra's new book is Cast of Characters: Wolcott Gibbs, E. B. White, James Thurber, and the Golden Age of The New Yorker.From the author's Q & A with Deborah Kalb:
Q: What are some of the main differences between The New Yorker during the period you write about and the magazine today?--Marshal Zeringue
A: The New Yorker today is a far more analytical and interpretive magazine than it used to be. William Shawn, the successor to Ross, in his recollections of Ross, said Ross didn’t care what a reporter thought. Today, there’s a lot more thinking going on at The New Yorker—people from Janet Malcolm to Malcolm Gladwell.
In the period I’m writing about, Ross and his cohorts were mainly interested in straight journalism, clever humor, bright fiction, funny drawings, and whimsical observations. I don’t think there was a lot of interpretation going on in the period I write about. Any heavy thoughts were...[read on]