Wednesday, June 17, 2009

How to Sound Smart About Books Even If You're an Idiot

Find yourself sitting around in book clubs, feeling like a fool? Don't know much about Foucault except some feces-related anecdotes? Wonder why everyone has read Ulysses, and you haven't, and now you are sorry, aren't you?

If you were too poor, or, like, whatever to go to grad school, here's how to sound smart while people in your proximity have polysyllabic conversations about books you haven't bothered yourself to read.

It was written by my stoic, tolerant, foul-mouthed BFF Lydia Netzer, who is a writer, really great, and a book doctor that I highly recommend if you have a tome that needs tending.

From "Ten Words to Make You Sound Smart in a Book Discussion":
7. French Feminism: French feminists invented the idea of a female kind of writing, "ecriture feminine" which is super-sexy and completely different from phallocentric male discourse. French feminists believed women should write about women, and their bodies. If you use the phrase "writing the body" you will get knowing nods from male friends and phone numbers from the girls.
Read the rest here.