Literary Bluffing
I have often found myself in the delicate situation of having to express my thoughts on books I haven’t read. Because I teach literature at university level, there is, in fact, no way to avoid commenting on books that I haven’t even opened. It’s true that this is also the case for the majority of my students, but if even one of them has read the text I’m discussing, there is a risk that at any moment my class will be disrupted and I will find myself humiliated. Via Bookninja
That’s somewhat reassuring for this English undergrad. I’ve had to bluff my way through books I haven’t read or only read partway on multiple occasions. That said, I always feel guilty for it, and I think I always will—one of the sad side effects of having a Librarian mother. I’m going to have to get this guy’s book if/when it comes out in the US.
Thomas Pynchon - Against the Day
José Saramago - The Stone Raft
Haruki Murakami - Kafka on the Shore
Gabriel Garcia Márquez - One Hundred Years of Solitude
David Foster Wallace - Consider the Lobster
Michael Chabon - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Dave Eggers - A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Mark Z. Danielewski - House of Leaves
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Don DeLilo - Mao II
