Bayard's 'How To Talk About Books You Haven' T Read

In the seventh chapter of Pierre Bayard’s, “How To Talk About Books You Haven’t Read”, Bayard recounts the struggles of anthropologist Laura Bohannan to describe “Hamlet” to the Tiv tribe of West Africa. The Tiv have no previous knowledge of Hamlet and therefore have a unique stance on the story. Bayard uses the Tiv’s untainted opinion of Hamlet to exemplify how not having read a book can stand to benefit you while discussing said book. It is also in this chapter that Bayard introduces the idea of the inner book. The inner book is the idea that a reader unconsciously makes judgements on a book or a piece of writing based on previous depictions. Bayard argues that the Tiv’s inner book remains uninfluenced by the Western world’s interpretation

There culture is one almost completely untouched by western influence. The plot of Hamlet is clearly not one that subscribes to the traditions of the Tiv tribe. It is in the meeting of Tiv traditions and the story of Hamlet that the cultural differences are revealed. In Western society Hamlet is widely regarded as one of the greatest pieces of English literature of our time. Those who read it dare not to question is brilliance. Yet the Tiv have no knowledge of this and are unrelenting in their critique of Shakespeare's masterpiece, making their critique perhaps more insightful.
Bayard proceeds to expertly tie together the inner book and the experience with the Tiv. In this chapter, the Tiv serve as exemplary group of students. They are curious about the subject matter, like any good student should be, but do not fail to question it. By showcasing this Bayard has provided a model for students who find themselves in the position of talking about a book they haven’t read with their professors. Students are equipped with not only their individual book but also their collective inner

The collective inner book acts as groundwork for one’s individual inner book. Students can take cues from the professor and those in the class who have done the reading on how to discuss it. Those who have not read the book are able to maintain an inner book independant from the book being discussed. Students can make attempt to study how the book is held in our society while also drawing upon previous experiences in reading and in life to make valuable commentary. Bayard uses the concept of the inner book to delve deeper into the psychology of reading. The inner book challenges previous notions about reading and the psychology of it. In western societies there is a large amount of weight put on reading and reading analysis, but Bayard calls those notions into question. One never opens a book with a completely blank slate. When reading people always have some sort of basis for why they are reading that piece of work. Therefore the content of the book itself is rather irrelevant. It is one's inner book that ultimately determines how the content of the book is