How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read

How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read
by Pierre Bayard

How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read
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Book Summary Information

Author: Pierre Bayard
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-10-30
ISBN: 1596914696
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Book Reviews of How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read

Book Review: Mischievous Literary Theory
Summary: 5 Stars

I saw one review that referred to this as a "mischievous book," and that sums this book up nicely.

I laughed out loud at several points. The author pretends that he rarely reads a book but then quotes from them extensively and draws some amazing insights as well. Some of his theories are, I think, parodies of literary theories, and the entire process of theorizing about books. And much of it deals with paradoxes in academic life.

On the other hand some of his spiel about not reading books really rings true - especially in the context of my recent obsession regarding trying to remember what books I have read and posting them on my Shelfari page. The forgotten books section was a hoot. I am old enough now that there are several books that, for the life of me, I truly can't remember if I read them or not. Or I know I read a single book by a certain author; but can't recall which one - even if I open the books and page through them.

And, really, who hasn't skimmed sections of a book. Try reading Remembrance of Things Past without skimming. I would classify that as "Book I tried to read, skimmed, and ultimately gave up on - extremely low opinion."

This book is a mesmerizing combination of hilarious parody and smart literary theory. I loved it.

(I "read" the audiobook version and would also comment that the reading was marvelous and they picked the best possible reader for this text.)

Summary of How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read

The runaway French bestseller hailed by the New York Times as "a survivor's guide to life in the chattering classes."?If civilized people are expected to have read all important works of literature, and thousands more books are published every year, what are we supposed to do in those awkward social situations in which we're forced to talk about books we haven't read? In this delightfully witty, provocative book, a huge hit in France that has drawn attention from critics around the world, literature professor and psychoanalyst Pierre Bayard argues that it's actually more important to know a book's role in our collective library than its details. Using examples from such writers as Graham Greene, Oscar Wilde, Montaigne, and Umberto Eco, and even the movie Groundhog Day, he describes the many varieties of "non-reading" and the horribly sticky social situations that might confront us, and then offers his advice on what to do. Practical, funny, and thought-provoking, How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read is in the end a love letter to books, offering a whole new perspective on how we read and absorb them. It's the book that readers everywhere will be talking about-and despite themselves, reading-this holiday season.

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