THE NEW YORKER, AUGUST 26, 2019 3
tentions at that moment are irrelevant;
what matters is that no one would find
the joke funny if society didn’t treat
women’s bodies as consumer products.
That attitude needs to be thrown out of
American culture. It is arguable whether
forcing Franken out of government was
productive or appropriate, and I sym-
pathize with the idea that it was unfair.
But women shouldn’t have to just ac-
cept harassment, either, and I wish May-
er’s article had done more to reckon
with that issue.
Christine U’Ren
Berkeley, Calif.
1
DERSHOWITZ REPLIESIf anyone doubts the political bias of
The New Yorker, I urge them to com-
pare Jane Mayer’s defense of Al Fran-
ken with Connie Bruck’s screed against
me (“Devil’s Advocate,” August 5th &
12th). Mayer resolves doubts in favor
of Franken and against his accusers,
whose motives she challenges. Bruck
resolves doubts in favor of my false ac-
cusers, whose motives she does not chal-
lenge, and against me. The difference is
that there is evidence that Franken did
the things he was accused of, though
there are questions about whether what
he did was sufficiently serious to war-
rant his resignation from the Senate. In
my case, there is not a scintilla of evi-
dence to support the false allegations
made against me by two women who
Bruck concedes are “imperfect wit-
nesses,” one of whom admits that she
invented false accusations against other
prominent people.
Let me be categorical: I never met
my two accusers; I have never had sex
with an underage person; the accusa-
tions against me are totally false.
Alan Dershowitz
Chilmark, Mass.BY ANY OTHER NAME
During my nine years as the director
of the Folger Shakespeare Library, in
Washington, D.C., Justice John Paul
Stevens was a regular visitor (The Talk
of the Town, August 5th & 12th). Every
year, he would bring his clerks to see
books in our collection that may have
belonged to Edward de Vere, the Earl
of Oxford. As Tyler Foggatt describes,
Justice Stevens believed de Vere to be
the author of Shakespeare’s works.
We at the Folger revered Justice Ste-
vens for his independent-mindedness.
But his denial of Shakespeare’s author-
ship is founded on a conspiracy theory
that no reputable Shakespeare scholar
countenances. The historical evidence
of Shakespeare’s career as an actor and
a playwright—including praise of his
greatness by his contemporaries—is
clear and undeniable. Those interested
in the question should consult Shake-
speare Documented, the Folger’s au-
thoritative Web site. While we at the
Folger will remember Justice Stevens
fondly, we strongly disavow his wrong-
headed opinions about Shakespeare.
Gail Kern Paster
Washington, D.C.
1
CONSIDERING AL FRANKEN
Franken was the most impressive voice
I ever heard in Senate hearings—clear,
fair, and focussed (“The Case of Al
Franken,” July 29th). When he was ac-
cused of sexual assault, I was horrified.
I did not automatically assume the sto-
ries were true, however, and did not
want him to resign without proof. Jane
Mayer’s article gives the accusations
their long-overdue airing. The senators
who now lament having called for Fran-
ken’s resignation appear to be trying to
have their cake and eat it, too.
Shirley Stuart
Berkeley, Calif.
The photo in which Franken pretends
to grope Leeann Tweeden while she is
asleep is a textbook illustration of the
way men demean women. Franken’s in-
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