Daniel Pennac -
10 Inalienable Rights of the Reader



In its preface, the book by Daniel Pennac called Comme un roman (Paris: Editions Gallimard/Folio, 1992), begs its reader not to use the book as an "instrument de torture pedagogique." Pennac enumerates 10 Inalienable Rights of the Reader:

  1. The right to not read,

  2. The right to skip pages,

  3. The right to not finish a book,

  4. The right to reread,

  5. The right to read anything,

  6. The right to "Bovary-ism," a textually-transmitted disease,

  7. The right to read anywhere,

  8. The right to sample and steal ("grappiller")

  9. The right to read out-loud, and,

  10. The right to be silent.

Charles - misc
2001-01-28