The Mezzanine Claim

In the excerpt from The Mezzanine  by Nicholson Baker, he writes with an elevated refinement that is both dignified and straight-forward. There is a chattiness about the writing with words like "black Penguin paperback" and "integral signs swooping upward between two floors". However, they are expressed without ehusiasm. Maybe, they were said nonchanlty, if anything. Yet, the writing is elevated, literally, with "towering volumes of marble and glass" describing what he sees. It is also suggested that the surroundings are lifeless like "radians of black luster" and "needly area of shine" to help emphasize the mechanical feel.