The writer Elif Batuman had a fascinating portrayal of them in her New Yorker article, 'The View from the Stands' from March 7, 2011.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/03/07/110307fa_fact_batuman
Unfortunately, the article is behind a paywall.
But there is a podcast available with her talking about the article, http://www.newyorker.com/online/2011/03/07/110307on_audio_batuman.