How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read

[sawyl]

We are all non-readers now. No matter how voraciously we may read, we cannot read everything that is published. Of the the books we may claim to have read, how truly do we remember them? How many of the details have we skipped? What should we say when invited to discuss books that we have not read or books that we have forgotten? These are some of the questions addressed by Pierre Bayard in his delightfully witty, wonderfully erudite essay How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read.

Books, Bayard believes, can be divided into four classes: those unknown; those briefly skimmed; those known by repute; and those forgotten. In each case an example is provided by a masterful writer, such as Montaigne, to support each thesis.

But if these categories hold, how then does one go about discussing books at all? We need to realise that our own lack of knowledge is likely to be reflected by our interlocutor. Once we know this, we should then feel sufficiently liberated to discuss the book as we see fit, unfettered by the actual contents of the book itself. This holds true regardless of whether we are discussing books with friends, with literary professionals, or, indeed, the author.

Thus are we liberated from the shame of not knowing something about a book. We are then able to express our opinions based on a book's position in society. We are free to invent theories about its contents, free from the chains of what it actually says. We are able, in short, to use it as a means to allow us to discuss ourselves in an acceptable way, irrespective of what the book may or may not contain.

Or at least, that's what I think about M. Bayard's book, on the basis of my quick skim through. On the way, I noticed that it appeared to be quite funny and that many of the chapters contained quotes from various works which, although unread by me, are supposed to be worth reading — I'm thinking here of Balzac and David Lodge.

In summary then, a joyous combination of playful fun, clever references and interesting ideas. Well worth a brief flick through.

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[doctor-squale.livejournal.com]

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