The title of the work, its place in the collective library, the nature of the person who tells us about it, the atmosphere established in the written or spoken exhange, among many other instances, offer alternatives to the book itself that allow us to talk about ourselves without dwelling upon the work too closely. Pierre Bayard
About This Quote

To talk about books does not mean to talk about the book. The name of the book is just an indication of the title. The book itself is only one part of the work. If we take the title away, then we are left with very little information about what the work is all about.

We can’t read the work without first finding out about the title. And if we find out that there are other titles that contain similar ideas, then we can choose to listen to those titles instead of this one. And finally, every book has its own place in our collective library.

Whether it’s at our local library or on our bookshelf at home, every book belongs somewhere.

Source: How To Talk About Books You Havent Read

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