Is Your Reading ‘Literarily’ a Lie?

A recent study revealed that 56% of Britons have, at some point, lied about reading a book.  Reasons cited for these fibs include wanting to join a conversation, seeming more intelligent, or trying to impress a date. 

I was initially snobbish about this.  Who would do such a thing?  Then I looked at the list of books that are allegedly most lied about, and I started to understand what might be going on.  Some titles I genuinely couldn’t remember if I’d read or not.  Some were just so famous, so referenced in general life, I could definitely see a blurred line between having actually read vs knowing enough to hold my own in a conversation about them.

Below are six titles from the list of most lied about, according to the study by Sky Arts.  I have definitely read three and definitely not read the others, but I’m going to try and convince you with a conversational sentence or two. Can you tell which is which?

1.         Ulysses by James Joyce (lied about by 4% of Britons)

‘Oh golly, that was a long one, I read it at school, definitely hard going, but an important piece of literature, don’t you think?’

2.         The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (lied about by 3% of Britons)

‘This must be the best account of a descent into depression I’ve ever read. I’ve always been fascinated by Plath’

3.         The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (lied about by 3% of Britons)

‘This book got me obsessed with the concept of the charisma.  I wish I could be a maven.  I’d recommend it to anyone working in marketing’

4.         A brief history of time by Stephen Hawking (lied about by 5% of Britons)

‘Who doesn’t love quantum physics.  Black holes are so magnificently mysterious, and very dark.’

5.         1984 by George Orwell (lied about by 9% of Britons)

‘I wish I had read the book before watching the film.  All I can see is John Hurt, but if you are going to read about dystopian futures, this is the Daddy.’

6.         Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (lied about by 10% of Britons)

‘Cool double twist on the ending.  Great love story.’

For the exercise above, I found myself drawing on some of the techniques the research uncovered; For example, 27% claim to have read the book so long ago the details are a blur and 18% rely on memories of a film or TV adaptation.  There were 5% who feigned a coughing fit to change the subject.  That one was hard to incorporate into my written subterfuge but if you ever meet me and ask me further questions on 3 of them, I can’t say I wouldn’t try it. 

I would also suggest an additional tactic, which is changing the subject to the hardest, and most obscure book you’ve ever actually read and reclaiming the moral high ground with it. 

*How about: “Well I’ve read Infinite Jest by David Foster-Wallace, so there”? I’m inclined to believe this wins all things.

One part of the study’s identified pretensions I did definitely recognise is our having certain books on shelves to make ourselves look cultured.  The study claims 16% of Brits have admitted to doing this.

I’ve been to several people’s houses and noticed stacks of books placed tactically around.  I confess, I do look at people’s bookshelves when I visit.  My first gaze is to see if we have any books in common, then, I’m not going to lie, to see if I can, by my very own judgement alone, feel intellectually superior to them.  Come on, we all do this right?

All in all, though, isn’t a bit of fibbing OK as long as we are reading something?  Damian Barr, Sky Arts resident Book Doctor at the Cheltenham Literature Festival back in the summer believes so.  He says “Stories are an essential part of everyday life they make us human and enable us to share our humanity.  Books are a celebration of stories; they are the building blocks of empathy and help us live so many lives alongside our own.  Reading is not a luxury it’s a right, but it is so much more, it’s as important for your mental health as getting exercise and eating well – it is proven to reduce stress, improve concentration and boost our intelligence.”

So, I say, read; just read enough to be able to talk about books, any books.  Every now and then read a clever, posh one.  It’s good for you and that’s absolutely the truth.

Truth or lie quiz answers:  I’ve read 2, 3 and 5.  1, 4 and 6, I was blagging.