Campus Novel Essay

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CAMPUS NOVEL INTRODUCTION: The word Campus is a Latin term meaning ‘field’ or ‘a physical space’, occupied by a school, college or university. The term was first used in 1774, at The Princeton University. A Campus novel is defined as a novel, usually comic or satirical, in which the action is set, within the closed world of a school, college or university and highlights the follies of academic life. It emerged after the Second World War at the American Universities. This minor, but distinct sub-genre of contemporary fiction became popular with Kingsley Amis’s “Lucky Jim”. Lucky Jim was inspired by The Education act of 1944 and The Angry Young Movement, which enabled the lower class to receive university education, plus the author’s experience as an over-taxed and underpaid lecturer at The University College of Swansea. Historically, the Campus novels reflect the contemporary social background. And the author’s academic experience, set in a real of fictional university. The first Campus fiction to have been written was “The Masters” by C.P. Snow in 1951. It was set in England, at the Cambridge University. This novel was not really a Campus novel in true sense as it does not include the typical features of a Campus novel. It speaks very little of the academic profession and does not mention students. However, this novel was followed by “The Groves of Academe” by Mary McCarthy, in 1952, which was considered as a typical campus novel. It was also the first classic campus novel in America. The Campus novel is also known as Academic novel, Varsity novel or university novel. Malcolm Bradbury makes a distinction between the campus novel and the varsity novel. According to him, Campus novel emphasizes more on teachers, whereas, the latter on students. * CHARACTERISTICS: 1. SETTING IN A UNIVERSITY: Universities are microcosms of the larger world. Campus novels
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