Merel van Goch

I run a campus novel book club together with a colleague. We meet irregularly with a small group of colleagues and reflect on a book and its relation to our scholarship.

In December we'll discuss Mary McCarthy's 'The groves of academe' which is one of the earliest campus novels and one of my faves.

What's your favorite campus novel?

#bookclub #campusnovel #academia #scholarship #literature

Nov 8, 2022 at 12:06pmWeb
Show threadTiffany, Sigh-DNov 8, 2022
@merelvg ok don’t laugh but I never knew campus novel was a genre…. After 17 years in academia never knew people were writing stories about life in academia 🤦‍♀️
Show threadMerel van GochNov 8, 2022
@drtifftaft It basically just means the story takes place at a college or university, from the viewpoint of a scholar or student. They are often quite satirical; I personally really enjoy the dark humor in such novels. Here's some examples: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campus_novel#Examples
Campus novel - Wikipedia

Show threadTiffany, Sigh-DNov 8, 2022
@merelvg you had me at dark humor. Thanks!
Show threadAmy SummervilleNov 8, 2022
@merelvg Richard Russo's Straight Man contains one of my favorite quotes ever: "Clearly, the only solution was for all of us to take one step backward so that the door could be pulled open. By this point a group of plumbers, a group of bricklayers, a group of hookers, a group of chimpanzees would have figured this out. But the room contained, unfortunately, a group of academics, and we couldn’t quite believe what had happened to us."
#bookClub #campusNovel #academia #scholarship #literature
Show threadAmy SummervilleNov 8, 2022
@merelvg I also enjoyed "Dear Committee Members" as an epistolary campus novel.
#bookClub #campusNovel #academia #scholarship #literature
Show threadMerel van GochNov 9, 2022
@regretlab I started reading this today and I'm greatly enjoying it. Thanks for the tip! Will definitely keep it in mind as a suggestion for a future #campusNovel #bookClub read.
Show threadSimonverwerNov 8, 2022
@merelvg Stoner