What is worrisome is the absolute domination of the present in so many homes, and the absence of any shared past. It isn't a class phenomenon so much as it is the result of a society which moves around a lot and thus disposes of objects which other, more stable societies would retain; this, combined with a relentless and largely media-driven compulsion to worry most about the "new," whatever it may be, makes a concern with the novels and essays, or for that matter the spoken memories, of an older generation marginal. In too many cases, it isn't even marginal.