I'm suddenly remembering a game David Lodge invented
(or at least described - see Changing Places). It was called 'Humiliation': the idea was that each person comes up with a book that they haven't read, and scores points for each other player that *has* read it. So the idea is to bring up books that you really should have read but haven't. He describes it as a particularly English game - Americans who tried to play it invariably kept suggesting very obscure books.

I'd do well among literary types - I can never get through pre-20th century literature and have never managed to read Austen, Dickens or any of the Brontes. I'd do very badly if we played it on B3ta - it turns out I agree with nearly all of you!
( flatfrog Staring vacantly into space, Mon 19 May 2008, 13:58, 7 replies)

Is that because
the Americans had read everything but the most obscure books?

Or were they just not really understanding that the scatter-gun approach was not the best way to win here?
( Thinker, Mon 19 May 2008, 14:17, closed)

@Thinker -
I don't think that's it: I think it's that Brits tend to have a more relaxed attitude to things they ought to have done but haven't. An American, the idea is, wouldn't want publicly to admit not being familiar with something in the canon, so would only name something obscure and non-canonical. A Brit would have a different attitude.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Mon 19 May 2008, 14:35, closed)

I've read that David Lodge trilogy
- as any self-respecting academic should. Does that gain or lose me points?
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Mon 19 May 2008, 14:40, closed)

@CHCB
I haven't. Therefore I win points at your expense.

(Then again, you seem to have read everything, which means you'd get a very low score by default. Ha!)
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Mon 19 May 2008, 14:44, closed)

Shame on you, Dr E
I thought you were a self-respecting academic. I'll lend it to you.

Yeah, I have read everything, pretty much. Except The Mill on the Floss and the second half of Ulysses.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Mon 19 May 2008, 14:50, closed)

Ach...
You get half a point for Ulysses, then. I've read it all.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Mon 19 May 2008, 14:51, closed)

I get a point for your Mill on the Floss
And I even bought myself another copy of it a couple of weeks ago to re-read it because I detested it the first time - I want to see if it still annoys the hell out of me.

But you get my David Lodge points - I've got Small World and have read half of it.

And Enzyme gets my Ulysses points - I gave up after five pages.
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Mon 19 May 2008, 18:37, closed)