Quote:
Originally Posted by RHWright
Because *some* people read litfic to be seen reading litfic. They like to be seen with it in their hand or have people see it on their shelf. "Hey, look, I can handle things! I'm smart! Not like everybody says... like dumb... I'm smart and I want respect! I'm reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao!"
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Not litfic, but a similar mindset. Used to work in a small office with maybe 20 people. There was one guy who'd always carry 4 or 5 books around. Heck, he'd bring them to meetings in the conference room 4 doors down from this desk, having picked them up to carry them to the meeting only the carry them right back at the end of the meeting. They were always really obscure "difficult" non-fiction titles too... thing is, his bookmarks were always about 10 pages into the book -- I don't think I ever saw a bookmark very far into a book -- and he could never tell you anything more detailed than what was given on the jacket.
I don't think I've ever met anybody so obviously trying to impress others before. It was always hilarious to push him on a book he hadn't actually read. "Oh, you're almost done reading GEB? That one really threw me for a 'strange loop'... heh... get it? No? I see..."