Academics and Novel

The purpose of this book is to describe the English campus novel in order to give a summary of its key traits and draw attention to the dissolution of the academic community's long-held myth of the ivory tower. A naive protagonist, an episodic plot, a satirical tone, and a multitude of stylized supporting characters, according to Wiegenstein (1987), are the four conventions that distinguish college fiction as a distinct subgenre. The plots of this genre may be totally different and have various functions; sometimes, as in the novel Joseph O'Neil's Dog (2015), they are intertwined around critiques of the real world outside of academic boundaries. Additionally, as in David Lodge's Nice Work, it may focus on the conflict between academic principles and commercial values as well as their applicability to society as a whole. Finally, it may dwell upon the description of sexual harassment as in Dietrich Schwanitz’s Der Campus (1996): A professor of sociology and contestant for the position of chancellor/university president stumbles upon a burdensome incident with a female student who accuses him of inappropriate behavior and rape with the help of the dean.