Book Hill Talks

The Campus Novel

Changing Depictions of the University in Fiction

Eleanor Shevlin, Professor of English and Director of the Center for Book History, West Chester University, will lead a talk, The Campus Novel: 

Often written by “insiders”—i.e., those in higher education such as faculty members and students - campus novels can be subdivided into fictional works that serve as comedy of manners, biting satire, murder
mystery, or some combination of these types. What so many of these variations share, however, is a decided interest in exploring and critiquing the function and purpose of the university as a social and cultural institution. That academic novels, especially those operating as satires, proliferate in times of transformations within universities and society points to the significance of their representations as commentary on shifting values and social change. This talk will discuss both the highlights of this genre’s representations of the university from the late 19th century until our present day and the significance of the commentary they offer beyond just a “good story.”

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