Event—Adult Education

How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read

So many books, so little time. Luckily Pierre Bayard, a professor of French literature and psychoanalyst, has penned a solution: How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read.

Cost and Registration Information

Early Registration Price (by May 19): $80
Regular Price (after May 19): $88

Register Here

Seminar Description

So many books, so little time. Luckily Pierre Bayard, a professor of French literature and psychoanalyst, has penned a solution: How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read. What sounds like fluffy advice for an uninitiated cocktail party-goer or a beleaguered graduate student is in fact a trenchant exegesis on the nature of reading, memory, interpretation, canonicity, and literary culture. This single day seminar will offer an analysis of Bayard’s practical and philosophical text. One session.

Harrison Sherrod is a local writer, curator, and educator, as well as the Executive Director of Pentimenti, a production company currently working on a 3D documentary about sculptor H.C. Westermann.

Materials List

Required:

  • Pierre Bayard - How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read. (Bloomsbury, 2009). ISBN: 978-1596915435
  • Arthur Schnitzler - Dream Story. (Penguin Classic, 1999). ISBN: 978-0141182247.
    • Per the instructor's recommendation - the standalone edition of this copy is no longer being published, so the easiest way to acquire this novella would be to buy a used copy on Amazon

First Readings:

  • Since this is a one day course, please read both assigned books before arriving.
  • Note from the instructor: Alternatively, in the spirit of the course, participants can opt not to read either book and attend the seminar regardless.

This class is part of the Newberry’s Adult Education Seminars Program. Learn more about our registration procedures.