装一把满腹经纶的读书人
As a coping strategy when dealing with literary snobs (who will judge you to your face because you haven't read the books they have), you sometimes have to pretend you've read a book you haven't.
相信你一定遇到过这样的人，如果你没读过他们读过的书，他们便会得意地嘲笑你的无知。其实面对这种情况，你完全可以采用下面这个策略：装一把满腹经纶的读书人。
But how do you go about pretending you've read a book with confidence? What happens if you're caught out in a lie?
Fortunately you can deduce many facts about classic books by looking at their covers, reading the contents page, and paying attention to the way they are referenced in popular culture. I've provided a handy outline as to how you can pretend to have read five classic novels. And please note that no disrespect is meant to these books or those who love them!
1. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Clearly this one has a nautical theme. Look at the cover! Also, the book's full title is Moby Dick or The Whale. So boats, a whale. It's a well respected book so it's fairly safe to assume that it's not told from the perspective of the whale, therefore there has to be a human character.
Not to be confused with: The Old Man and the Sea or The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
Handy hint: in Star Trek: First Contact, Captain Picard makes a speech that essentially sums up the plot and point of Moby Dick in about 30 seconds.
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Ok, again - look at the cover. Clearly there's some romance going on here. You will have picked up the names 'Elizabeth Bennett' and 'Mr. Darcy' from popular culture, and the word ‘swoon' is often attached to 'Mr. Darcy'. Lakes, wet shirts, definitely some sort of marriage.
Not to be confused with: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, or the Turkish restaurant I plan to open called 'Pide and Prejudice'
Handy hint: there have been several faithful adaptations over the years and you can watch the trailers on youtube.
3. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
Set in the year 1984, but written, like, ages before. You know things from this book, even if you don't know you do (known unknowns, right). Big brother. Clocks striking 13. War is peace, etc.
Not to be confused with: Brave New World, the reality series Big Brother, David Bowie's worst song.
Handy hint: Cleverly parodied on both The Simpsons and Futurama.
4. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
There are orphans, themes about class and crime, plus Obi-Wan Kenobi played Fagin in the movie. There was also a successful musical, and several of the songs contain lines from the novel.
Not to be confused with: David Copperfield (the book), David Copperfield (the magician).
Handy hint: It's cool to acknowledge that Dickens wrote the ‘airport novels' of his day.
5. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Funny fact about War and Peace: nobody has actually read it. So just make up whatever you like and people will have to play along and pretend they know what you're talking about.