What do you think?
Rate this book
The Campus Trilogy #2
Small World
Philip Swallow, Morris Zapp, Persse McGarrigle and the lovely Angelica - the jet-propelled academics are on the move, in the air, in "Small World". It is a world of glamorous travel and high excitement, where stuffy lecture rooms are swapped for lush corners of the globe, and romance is in the air.
339 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
116 people are currently reading
4019 people want to read
About the author
David Lodge
152 books923 followersDavid John Lodge was an English author and critic. A literature professor at the University of Birmingham until 1987, some of his novels satirise academic life, notably the "Campus Trilogy" – Changing Places: A Tale of Two Campuses (1975), Small World: An Academic Romance (1984) and Nice Work (1988). The second two were shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Another theme is Roman Catholicism, beginning from his first published novel The Picturegoers (1960). Lodge also wrote television screenplays and three stage plays. After retiring, he continued to publish literary criticism. His edition of Twentieth Century Literary Criticism (1972) includes essays on 20th-century writers such as T.S. Eliot. In 1992, he published The Art of Fiction, a collection of essays on literary techniques with illustrative examples from great authors, such as Point of View (Henry James), The Stream of Consciousness (Virginia Woolf) and Interior Monologue (James Joyce), beginning with Beginning and ending with Ending.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 358 reviews
March 15, 2009
I can't believe how few of my GR friends have Small World on their shelves. Of course, we all know what's wrong with the genre, and many people instinctively shy away from reading yet another novel by a lecturer at an English department, describing what it's like to be an English lecturer who's writing a novel. The first time you see someone try to crawl up their own ass, it's kind of interesting. The tenth time, you know in advance that they'll get stuck somewhere in their lower intestine, and come slithering out after a while, having learned the hard way that the sun doesn't shine out of that part of their anatomy. Enough already.
So, now that I've convinced you that I know exactly what you don't want to read, I will give you my word of honor that Small World isn't like that: what we have here is the exception that proves the rule! Instead of running the same tired old recursive formula, David Lodge had a better idea. As he tells you in the introduction, academics are today's clerics, and conferences are their pilgrimages. So, what would be more natural than an updated version of the Canterbury Tales? That, pretty much, is what the book is, and he's done a fine job. If Chaucer's read it, I'm sure he felt flattered.
The arrangement isn't quite the same; since it's a novel, or, to be exact, a Romance, all the stories are mixed up to some extent. None the less, you recognize the stock figures as they make their entrances. Among others, we meet the Graduate Student, the Plagiarist, the Publisher, the Publisher's Secretary, the Structuralist, the Wealthy Marxist, the Blocked Writer, the Professor Who Sleeps With His Students, and, last but not least, the Maiden Aunt. (Watch Sybil Maiden carefully. There's more to her than meets the eye). When I finally got around to reading Chaucer, I was quite surprised to discover how modern he is, and Lodge has no trouble at all in adapting him to the late 20th century.
Just as with Chaucer, one of the first things you notice is that there's a lot of comic sex. Lodge's sex scenes really are very funny. My favorite was the bit where Fulvia attempts, not completely successfully, to show Morris how much fun bondage can be; in terms of low comedy, I thought this stood comparison with, for example, the ass-kissing scene from the Miller's Tale. I only have two criticisms to make concerning the sex. First, I didn't think he was quite as good as Chaucer at portraying strong women who are confident about their sexuality. I know almost nothing about the private life of either writer, but I get the impression that Chaucer was more of a ladies' man than Lodge, and that this may have something to do with it. Second, Lodge is, oddly enough, rather less filthy than his august predecessor. If you're concerned with accuracy in homage, or just like filth, this might bother you, but I was quite happy with his mildly sanitized version. Of course, Chaucer is one of the all-time greats at both strong, sexy women and amusing filth, so I'm not being very hard on Lodge when I say he isn't as good.
Again following Chaucer, the other main theme is social satire. Chaucer is displeased with the complacent, corrupt Church, and can be quite vicious; the Pardoner, in particular, gets a very rough ride. Lodge satirizes the world of academic literary theory, and this is the part of the book that I enjoyed most. He can also take people apart, as in his treatment of the Plagiarist. But most of the time, even though he enjoys showing us how ridiculous the academics are, he describes them and their bizarre society in loving detail, with a sympathy that leaves you amused rather than disgusted. They're bitchy, dishonest, vain, obsessed with smut, and generally far more interested in creating an impression than in actually understanding the books they keep talking about. None the less, you can't help loving them. I wish I could hang out with people like that! If you feel the same way, you're going to like Small World.
So, now that I've convinced you that I know exactly what you don't want to read, I will give you my word of honor that Small World isn't like that: what we have here is the exception that proves the rule! Instead of running the same tired old recursive formula, David Lodge had a better idea. As he tells you in the introduction, academics are today's clerics, and conferences are their pilgrimages. So, what would be more natural than an updated version of the Canterbury Tales? That, pretty much, is what the book is, and he's done a fine job. If Chaucer's read it, I'm sure he felt flattered.
The arrangement isn't quite the same; since it's a novel, or, to be exact, a Romance, all the stories are mixed up to some extent. None the less, you recognize the stock figures as they make their entrances. Among others, we meet the Graduate Student, the Plagiarist, the Publisher, the Publisher's Secretary, the Structuralist, the Wealthy Marxist, the Blocked Writer, the Professor Who Sleeps With His Students, and, last but not least, the Maiden Aunt. (Watch Sybil Maiden carefully. There's more to her than meets the eye). When I finally got around to reading Chaucer, I was quite surprised to discover how modern he is, and Lodge has no trouble at all in adapting him to the late 20th century.
Just as with Chaucer, one of the first things you notice is that there's a lot of comic sex. Lodge's sex scenes really are very funny. My favorite was the bit where Fulvia attempts, not completely successfully, to show Morris how much fun bondage can be; in terms of low comedy, I thought this stood comparison with, for example, the ass-kissing scene from the Miller's Tale. I only have two criticisms to make concerning the sex. First, I didn't think he was quite as good as Chaucer at portraying strong women who are confident about their sexuality. I know almost nothing about the private life of either writer, but I get the impression that Chaucer was more of a ladies' man than Lodge, and that this may have something to do with it. Second, Lodge is, oddly enough, rather less filthy than his august predecessor. If you're concerned with accuracy in homage, or just like filth, this might bother you, but I was quite happy with his mildly sanitized version. Of course, Chaucer is one of the all-time greats at both strong, sexy women and amusing filth, so I'm not being very hard on Lodge when I say he isn't as good.
Again following Chaucer, the other main theme is social satire. Chaucer is displeased with the complacent, corrupt Church, and can be quite vicious; the Pardoner, in particular, gets a very rough ride. Lodge satirizes the world of academic literary theory, and this is the part of the book that I enjoyed most. He can also take people apart, as in his treatment of the Plagiarist. But most of the time, even though he enjoys showing us how ridiculous the academics are, he describes them and their bizarre society in loving detail, with a sympathy that leaves you amused rather than disgusted. They're bitchy, dishonest, vain, obsessed with smut, and generally far more interested in creating an impression than in actually understanding the books they keep talking about. None the less, you can't help loving them. I wish I could hang out with people like that! If you feel the same way, you're going to like Small World.
January 30, 2025
When I was a kid watching The Adventures of Tintin, 1 scene left a lasting impression on me. Captain Haddock was happily taking a walk when someone asked him a question: ”Captain, do you sleep with your beard inside or outside the blanket?" This question threw him into an existential crisis. The person walked away after asking, and that night, the captain couldn't sleep, tossing and turning, trying to figure out what to do with his beard. Inside or outside, neither felt right.
As a child, I found this hilarious and always wanted to play the same trick on a man with a big beard. Later, I learned an English saying, "don't think about the pink monkey." I remember the teacher explaining it for ages before we understood that if you tell someone not to think about a pink monkey, they'll inevitably start thinking about it.
when I read David Lodge’s Small World, which includes a story about a successful writer, A, who hadn't written anything in 6 years. One day, he told a young man the reason for his writer's block. 6 years ago, at a seminar, he met a colleague, B, who used computers to analyze the writing styles of various authors to determine what made their language so captivating. As a successful writer, A was 1 of his subjects. B boasted about his findings to A and asked, ”Do you know your favorite word?" It's "grease." B showed A his research results, and for the first time, A realized how much he favored the word "grease" and its various forms and uses. There were other findings too, like his favorite rhymes, body parts he mentioned most, and how men always started with "he said" while women used more varied expressions like "she moaned" or "she gasped." After that, A found himself unable to write anything.
Spoiler Alert!
When I read this, I thought: Oh my God, this is a writer's worst nightmare. Fortunately, Lodge is a kind-hearted writer and gave everyone in the book a relatively happy ending, including the writer. However, this also made thus book a second-rate novel. I was surprised by his handling of the ending. As a humorous Brit, he could pack 7 or 8 typical British jokes into 30 pages, making me laugh out loud, only to disappoint me with a Hollywood-style cliché ending. Perhaps, as someone from academia, he still had a soft spot for his academic peers, being too close to them to be truly ruthless. Or maybe the characters were based on real people, so he had to be gentle, only teasing them without hitting too hard. This makes his approach more understandable.
A friend once asked me to recommend a book that reflects intellectuals, so I suggested this one. However, he later said he didn't find it humorous or see any jokes. I realized that while I didn't find it too difficult to understand, it might indeed require a certain level of knowledge from the reader. British humor is inherently subtle, and when combined with literary research topics, many dialogues are brilliant for those who have studied humanities for years but might be like a foreign language to casual readers. For example, at the beginning of the book, Professor Philip uses the process of watching a striptease to explain his view that understanding information means decoding it, language is a code, but each decoding is also a form of encoding. Lodge vividly describes the professor's entire report, which I found fascinating and often laughed out loud. However, I later realized that this enjoyment might not be shared by other readers. It's like how, as a humanities student, I find The Big Bang Theory funny but can't understand all the jokes like a physics student would. In this sense, Small World is like a humanities version of The Big Bang Theory, describing the lives of top professors while being quite restrained in professional discussions, perhaps to appeal to more readers.
”A text unveils itself before us but never allows itself to be grasped; we should not strive to master it but find joy in its teasing.". This quote, which once made me smile, is from the professor's report and is something I jotted down. Sometimes, writing and reading are like making love, which is one reason I enjoy both. Many people write to play God, while others read to gain knowledge. But I love using "don't think about the pink monkey" to play pranks. As for Professor Zapp's mention that ”Freud believed that 'excessive reading is a manifestation of another desire, replacing the desire to spy on the mother's genitals,'" well... I haven't read many books myself. Ms. Green has read more and is more invested, so she clearly has more authority on this matter.
Ultimately, this book is about our world, our game. You haven't closed the door to keep people out; everyone is literate, but many still can't get in. So it truly is a small world. Writing this, I can somewhat understand Lodge’s fondness for his characters. Whether you love or hate it, this small world isn't big, and there aren't many people to play the game with you, whether friends or foes.
4 / 5 stars
As a child, I found this hilarious and always wanted to play the same trick on a man with a big beard. Later, I learned an English saying, "don't think about the pink monkey." I remember the teacher explaining it for ages before we understood that if you tell someone not to think about a pink monkey, they'll inevitably start thinking about it.
when I read David Lodge’s Small World, which includes a story about a successful writer, A, who hadn't written anything in 6 years. One day, he told a young man the reason for his writer's block. 6 years ago, at a seminar, he met a colleague, B, who used computers to analyze the writing styles of various authors to determine what made their language so captivating. As a successful writer, A was 1 of his subjects. B boasted about his findings to A and asked, ”Do you know your favorite word?" It's "grease." B showed A his research results, and for the first time, A realized how much he favored the word "grease" and its various forms and uses. There were other findings too, like his favorite rhymes, body parts he mentioned most, and how men always started with "he said" while women used more varied expressions like "she moaned" or "she gasped." After that, A found himself unable to write anything.
Spoiler Alert!
When I read this, I thought: Oh my God, this is a writer's worst nightmare. Fortunately, Lodge is a kind-hearted writer and gave everyone in the book a relatively happy ending, including the writer. However, this also made thus book a second-rate novel. I was surprised by his handling of the ending. As a humorous Brit, he could pack 7 or 8 typical British jokes into 30 pages, making me laugh out loud, only to disappoint me with a Hollywood-style cliché ending. Perhaps, as someone from academia, he still had a soft spot for his academic peers, being too close to them to be truly ruthless. Or maybe the characters were based on real people, so he had to be gentle, only teasing them without hitting too hard. This makes his approach more understandable.
A friend once asked me to recommend a book that reflects intellectuals, so I suggested this one. However, he later said he didn't find it humorous or see any jokes. I realized that while I didn't find it too difficult to understand, it might indeed require a certain level of knowledge from the reader. British humor is inherently subtle, and when combined with literary research topics, many dialogues are brilliant for those who have studied humanities for years but might be like a foreign language to casual readers. For example, at the beginning of the book, Professor Philip uses the process of watching a striptease to explain his view that understanding information means decoding it, language is a code, but each decoding is also a form of encoding. Lodge vividly describes the professor's entire report, which I found fascinating and often laughed out loud. However, I later realized that this enjoyment might not be shared by other readers. It's like how, as a humanities student, I find The Big Bang Theory funny but can't understand all the jokes like a physics student would. In this sense, Small World is like a humanities version of The Big Bang Theory, describing the lives of top professors while being quite restrained in professional discussions, perhaps to appeal to more readers.
”A text unveils itself before us but never allows itself to be grasped; we should not strive to master it but find joy in its teasing.". This quote, which once made me smile, is from the professor's report and is something I jotted down. Sometimes, writing and reading are like making love, which is one reason I enjoy both. Many people write to play God, while others read to gain knowledge. But I love using "don't think about the pink monkey" to play pranks. As for Professor Zapp's mention that ”Freud believed that 'excessive reading is a manifestation of another desire, replacing the desire to spy on the mother's genitals,'" well... I haven't read many books myself. Ms. Green has read more and is more invested, so she clearly has more authority on this matter.
Ultimately, this book is about our world, our game. You haven't closed the door to keep people out; everyone is literate, but many still can't get in. So it truly is a small world. Writing this, I can somewhat understand Lodge’s fondness for his characters. Whether you love or hate it, this small world isn't big, and there aren't many people to play the game with you, whether friends or foes.
4 / 5 stars
August 13, 2024
Et in Arcadia ego... Și eu am fost - și încă ani buni - un cavaler rătăcitor în căutarea Graalului (a unei burse postdoctorale, adică), sărind de la o conferință la alta, de la un simpozion la altul, de la un congres la alt congres. Și viceversa. Nu m-am ales cu mare lucru (păstrez, totuși, diplomele de participare), dar asta chiar că nu mai contează...
Romanul lui David Lodge e amuzant chiar dacă nu toate poantele sînt strălucite, chiar dacă nu toate răsturnările de situație sînt verosimile: prea mulți McGarrigle (Persse, Peter), prea multe gemene șturlubatice (Angelica, Lily)...
Și dacă Vladimir Nabokov ne-a îndemnat (într-un curs de literatură ilustru) să ne identificăm cu un personaj anume, cînd citim un roman, eu mi-am ales numaidecît modelul. Nu poate fi altul decît venerabilul Philip Swallow, profesor la Universitatea din Rummidge și comentator avizat al eseistului William Hazlitt (1778 - 1830). Despre care va ține o prelegere în Ankara. Prilej cu care o va reîntîlni pe Joy, femeia vieții sale.
Și tînărul Persse McGarrigle o va întîlni pe Angelica în New York (după ce a căutat-o prin toată lumea: Honolulu, Seul, Amsterdam, Tokyo etc.), dar va constata cu mintea de pe urmă a bărbatului că Angelica nu poate fi femeia vieții lui. Căci femeia vieții lui este - fără doar și fără poate - modesta, discreta, mult simțitoarea Cheryl Summerbee, casieriță la aeroportul Heathrow. Cheryl merită orice sacrificiu, e bine să mă credeți pe cuvînt...
Inocentul Persse a și pornit în căutarea ei.
Romanul lui David Lodge e amuzant chiar dacă nu toate poantele sînt strălucite, chiar dacă nu toate răsturnările de situație sînt verosimile: prea mulți McGarrigle (Persse, Peter), prea multe gemene șturlubatice (Angelica, Lily)...
Și dacă Vladimir Nabokov ne-a îndemnat (într-un curs de literatură ilustru) să ne identificăm cu un personaj anume, cînd citim un roman, eu mi-am ales numaidecît modelul. Nu poate fi altul decît venerabilul Philip Swallow, profesor la Universitatea din Rummidge și comentator avizat al eseistului William Hazlitt (1778 - 1830). Despre care va ține o prelegere în Ankara. Prilej cu care o va reîntîlni pe Joy, femeia vieții sale.
Și tînărul Persse McGarrigle o va întîlni pe Angelica în New York (după ce a căutat-o prin toată lumea: Honolulu, Seul, Amsterdam, Tokyo etc.), dar va constata cu mintea de pe urmă a bărbatului că Angelica nu poate fi femeia vieții lui. Căci femeia vieții lui este - fără doar și fără poate - modesta, discreta, mult simțitoarea Cheryl Summerbee, casieriță la aeroportul Heathrow. Cheryl merită orice sacrificiu, e bine să mă credeți pe cuvînt...
Inocentul Persse a și pornit în căutarea ei.
April 28, 2023
Pentru că am recenzat în altă parte Ce mică-i lumea!, Small Worlds (roman care dă seama întru cîtva și despre aventura mea academică!), mă opresc azi la cîteva situații care m-au amuzat teribil.
David Lodge a inventat cel puțin două jocuri de societate pasionante. În Schimb de dame, s-a gîndit să-i pună pe domnii profesori universitari să-și exprime lacunele în materie de literatură clasică. Cineva numește un titlu ilustru, Hamlet, să zicem. Dacă un anume expert recunoaște că n-a citit tragedia lui Shakespeare, ia toate punctele celorlalți. Cîștigă, firește, eruditul care ignoră cu desăvîrșire cele mai multe titluri. Acest joc presupune, desigur, o sinceritate maximă, nu foarte frecventă la somitățile academice din motive care se subînțeleg imediat...
În Ce mică-i lumea!, căutînd-o zadarnic pe inefabila lui Angelica, protagonistul ajunge (și) în Tokyo și, ca să-și treacă timpul, se distrează cu prietenii de acolo (Akira și Motokazu Umeda) înlocuind titlurile pieselor lui Shakespeare, pe un principiu analogic, cu titluri de romane polițiste. Astfel, ingeniosul Persse propune înlocuirea fadului titlu Othello cu mult mai incitantul „Misterul batistei pierdute”. Pentru Regele Lear găsește un titlu și mai percutant: „Trista afacere a unei pensionări premature”.
Persse McGarrigle se confruntă cu un adversar foarte versat, profesorul Umeda (traducătorul lui Sir Philip Sidney în japoneză). Umeda propune pentru Pericle. Prinț al Tyrului titlul „Oglinda sincerităţii”, pentru Totul e bine cînd se sfîrșește cu bine titlul „Vîsla care ştie bine ce are de făcut cu apa”, iar pentru Comedia erorilor „Floarea din oglindă şi luna din apă”. Titlurile lui Umeda sînt niște poezii în sine. Persse e încîntat:
„– Ei nu, că ăsta le-ntrece pe toate! Chiar sună frumos!
– Este o expresie idiomatică, îi explică Akira. Înseamnă ceea ce poate fi văzut, dar nu poate fi atins”.
Spor la întrecere!
Cealaltă recenzie:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
David Lodge a inventat cel puțin două jocuri de societate pasionante. În Schimb de dame, s-a gîndit să-i pună pe domnii profesori universitari să-și exprime lacunele în materie de literatură clasică. Cineva numește un titlu ilustru, Hamlet, să zicem. Dacă un anume expert recunoaște că n-a citit tragedia lui Shakespeare, ia toate punctele celorlalți. Cîștigă, firește, eruditul care ignoră cu desăvîrșire cele mai multe titluri. Acest joc presupune, desigur, o sinceritate maximă, nu foarte frecventă la somitățile academice din motive care se subînțeleg imediat...
În Ce mică-i lumea!, căutînd-o zadarnic pe inefabila lui Angelica, protagonistul ajunge (și) în Tokyo și, ca să-și treacă timpul, se distrează cu prietenii de acolo (Akira și Motokazu Umeda) înlocuind titlurile pieselor lui Shakespeare, pe un principiu analogic, cu titluri de romane polițiste. Astfel, ingeniosul Persse propune înlocuirea fadului titlu Othello cu mult mai incitantul „Misterul batistei pierdute”. Pentru Regele Lear găsește un titlu și mai percutant: „Trista afacere a unei pensionări premature”.
Persse McGarrigle se confruntă cu un adversar foarte versat, profesorul Umeda (traducătorul lui Sir Philip Sidney în japoneză). Umeda propune pentru Pericle. Prinț al Tyrului titlul „Oglinda sincerităţii”, pentru Totul e bine cînd se sfîrșește cu bine titlul „Vîsla care ştie bine ce are de făcut cu apa”, iar pentru Comedia erorilor „Floarea din oglindă şi luna din apă”. Titlurile lui Umeda sînt niște poezii în sine. Persse e încîntat:
„– Ei nu, că ăsta le-ntrece pe toate! Chiar sună frumos!
– Este o expresie idiomatică, îi explică Akira. Înseamnă ceea ce poate fi văzut, dar nu poate fi atins”.
Spor la întrecere!
Cealaltă recenzie:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
March 27, 2010
Oh yes and...
On fear of flying.
One of the things I love about this series is he captures ordinary sensible fears of flying so well.
I've just got off a plane, yet again without it falling down in a non-prescribed manner. But still, it's made me think about this situation.
Have you ever been in a plane, sitting in it, expecting to take off, when the pilot says 'Attention, attention, attennnnshhunnn. Passengers, in order to fly safely we need to take off 100 kgs. I'm asking for two volunteers and their luggage to leave now and wait for the next plane.'
This is true, it really happened. And, of course, nobody believes it. If the pilot says 100 kgs or we fall out of the sky, then the passengers want at least double that. What if somebody's done their arithmetic wrong. How can they know 100 kg is the right figure???
And you know what happens? Everybody looks at the biggest, fattest people. Looks at them like, come on, this is your moment. This is the only time in your life where there is any purpose to your wantonly deep fried life-style. Yes, and you will have the heaviest luggage, we all know that. You can save this entire jet of passengers from certain death by doing no more than simply hanging out in the Qantas lounge and feasting on free lunch until the next plane comes. This is win-win for everybody. Nobody actually says a word but it is patently clear what they are all thinking.
People like me get completely ignored, which is funny because although I don't make the cut on my own, my luggage always weighs more than I do, so I'd do the job. But instead I can just sit there knowing this is some weird form of Big Brother where my seat is safe. Nobody's voting me off this trip.
On fear of trollies.
Adelaide is such a sweet town. You know that because it has the only airport left in the whole world where you don't have to put a down payment on your trolley.
The last time I used a trolley was in Los Angeles many years ago. I put in my two bucks, got a trolley, used it for hours and then, when finally we were able to check in our luggage I simply left the trolley. Walked off only to turn around because honest to God, two large grown up men zoomed in on the trolley and were fighting for it. I mean fighting. At least one of these men was going to die. I stood, horrified. I'd just spent several weeks in the US largely trying to get out of the place and now...now. For sure I was going to be charged with some sort of affray leading to the death of at least one person. Far from escaping the place, I'd be put in gaol, death row, if I was lucky and the jury understood it was an innocent mistake on my part, not understanding the significance of the situation.
It had never been properly documented before until I next went to my therapist. Trolleyphobia. I expect academic papers have been written....conferences attended.
------------------------------------------
I see there is something of a dispute on goodreads as to whether this is the best of the trilogy. Better? Worse? Slightly different? I'm not going with the argument that you have to go to conferences to get why this one's so special. Like the idea of a conference isn't out there in the ether.
How about this instead. Hands up if you've written a book of literary criticism. I put my hand up. Look around, count hands. Oh. Just the one then. So, you know. You all wouldn't really understand then. Not like I would. I mean, we are reading about the lives of literary critics, after all.
We have here the very special point of view of someone who hasn't been to a conference, but who has written a book of literary analysis. Lucky, lucky you.
The thing is, I have to begin by saying, I hate analysing literature. I can't think of a more effective way of spoiling the stuff. At school I was the relentless objector to everything non-literal. But why are sharp pointy things in Tess of the D'Urbervilles phallic? Why can't they just be sharp pointy things, doing sharp, pointy sort of things?
Having said that, I did sort of analyse Changing Places.
Here I will merely add that there is more padding to this book but that it made me laugh uncontrollably a couple of times.
So I’m at the Italian Consulate a few days ago waiting, waiting, waiting. I knew it would be like that, after all, a micro model of the Italian government at work. I’ve brought various things with me including this book, of which I read maybe fifty pages. Suddenly it makes me laugh, I mean really laugh out loud, LOUD, out loud. I swear to God the man at the desk looked at me and moved me right to the bottom of the queue. And the two dozen people around me, dull, braindead looking specimens if ever I’ve seen any, looked like they fully approved the desk man’s decision.
Swallow is in Turkey to present a paper at a conference and he's brought blank A4 paper with him to use as toilet paper. He's wiping his bottom in a blackout when the lights suddenly come back on. He's up to page five of his paper!
Later on I'm in bed with somebody who is asleep and I'm reading(don't get excited, not the least possibility of sex). Persse is on a plane which is going to have trouble landing, maybe even crash. One of the airhostesses is desperately trying to come up with a prayer to address to the passengers - it's an Irish plane - and suddenly it comes to her 'Oh Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly grateful'. Hilarious. I silently shook with laughter for a while and then went back to my own bed....where I could laugh noisily.
Have you ever been on a plane that can't land? I have, and actually, it wasn't all panic the way Lodge tells it...
I was on my way to Adelaide (as usual) and preparing to land was announced. The plane got very close to the ground when the pilot chickened out and took us up again. The weather was lousy and he was nervous. As this happened a couple more times, it was interesting to observe the effect on the passengers.
I would have expected a diverse reaction. Self-important businessmen complaining about being late. Hysterics here and there. Somebody asking why couldn't they have a second lunch?
Whereas in fact the passengers pulled together as one and were on the pilot's side. If he didn't think it was right to land, we were with him. Not a murmur of dissent.
In due course the inevitable happened. The plane ran out of fuel. It was now or never. Might one define clarity as lack of choice? However impossible the pilot had thought landing to be, suddenly it was simple routine. It was a plane in the air that had to come down. Yea verily. We all cheered.
--------------------------------
I really do have to make random observations as I go along, reading this book, or I shan’t write anything at all.
'No country for old men.' Coen brothers movie....and okay, title of book by Cormac McCarthy. But here it is in a book written in the mid-eighties. Does this mean it has some other, even earlier origin which I should know and don’t, that is commonly borrowed? Has McCarthy taken it from Lodge? Come up with it independently? I’m dying to know the answer to this question. Somebody please enlighten me!
On fear of flying.
One of the things I love about this series is he captures ordinary sensible fears of flying so well.
I've just got off a plane, yet again without it falling down in a non-prescribed manner. But still, it's made me think about this situation.
Have you ever been in a plane, sitting in it, expecting to take off, when the pilot says 'Attention, attention, attennnnshhunnn. Passengers, in order to fly safely we need to take off 100 kgs. I'm asking for two volunteers and their luggage to leave now and wait for the next plane.'
This is true, it really happened. And, of course, nobody believes it. If the pilot says 100 kgs or we fall out of the sky, then the passengers want at least double that. What if somebody's done their arithmetic wrong. How can they know 100 kg is the right figure???
And you know what happens? Everybody looks at the biggest, fattest people. Looks at them like, come on, this is your moment. This is the only time in your life where there is any purpose to your wantonly deep fried life-style. Yes, and you will have the heaviest luggage, we all know that. You can save this entire jet of passengers from certain death by doing no more than simply hanging out in the Qantas lounge and feasting on free lunch until the next plane comes. This is win-win for everybody. Nobody actually says a word but it is patently clear what they are all thinking.
People like me get completely ignored, which is funny because although I don't make the cut on my own, my luggage always weighs more than I do, so I'd do the job. But instead I can just sit there knowing this is some weird form of Big Brother where my seat is safe. Nobody's voting me off this trip.
On fear of trollies.
Adelaide is such a sweet town. You know that because it has the only airport left in the whole world where you don't have to put a down payment on your trolley.
The last time I used a trolley was in Los Angeles many years ago. I put in my two bucks, got a trolley, used it for hours and then, when finally we were able to check in our luggage I simply left the trolley. Walked off only to turn around because honest to God, two large grown up men zoomed in on the trolley and were fighting for it. I mean fighting. At least one of these men was going to die. I stood, horrified. I'd just spent several weeks in the US largely trying to get out of the place and now...now. For sure I was going to be charged with some sort of affray leading to the death of at least one person. Far from escaping the place, I'd be put in gaol, death row, if I was lucky and the jury understood it was an innocent mistake on my part, not understanding the significance of the situation.
It had never been properly documented before until I next went to my therapist. Trolleyphobia. I expect academic papers have been written....conferences attended.
------------------------------------------
I see there is something of a dispute on goodreads as to whether this is the best of the trilogy. Better? Worse? Slightly different? I'm not going with the argument that you have to go to conferences to get why this one's so special. Like the idea of a conference isn't out there in the ether.
How about this instead. Hands up if you've written a book of literary criticism. I put my hand up. Look around, count hands. Oh. Just the one then. So, you know. You all wouldn't really understand then. Not like I would. I mean, we are reading about the lives of literary critics, after all.
We have here the very special point of view of someone who hasn't been to a conference, but who has written a book of literary analysis. Lucky, lucky you.
The thing is, I have to begin by saying, I hate analysing literature. I can't think of a more effective way of spoiling the stuff. At school I was the relentless objector to everything non-literal. But why are sharp pointy things in Tess of the D'Urbervilles phallic? Why can't they just be sharp pointy things, doing sharp, pointy sort of things?
Having said that, I did sort of analyse Changing Places.
Here I will merely add that there is more padding to this book but that it made me laugh uncontrollably a couple of times.
So I’m at the Italian Consulate a few days ago waiting, waiting, waiting. I knew it would be like that, after all, a micro model of the Italian government at work. I’ve brought various things with me including this book, of which I read maybe fifty pages. Suddenly it makes me laugh, I mean really laugh out loud, LOUD, out loud. I swear to God the man at the desk looked at me and moved me right to the bottom of the queue. And the two dozen people around me, dull, braindead looking specimens if ever I’ve seen any, looked like they fully approved the desk man’s decision.
Swallow is in Turkey to present a paper at a conference and he's brought blank A4 paper with him to use as toilet paper. He's wiping his bottom in a blackout when the lights suddenly come back on. He's up to page five of his paper!
Later on I'm in bed with somebody who is asleep and I'm reading(don't get excited, not the least possibility of sex). Persse is on a plane which is going to have trouble landing, maybe even crash. One of the airhostesses is desperately trying to come up with a prayer to address to the passengers - it's an Irish plane - and suddenly it comes to her 'Oh Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly grateful'. Hilarious. I silently shook with laughter for a while and then went back to my own bed....where I could laugh noisily.
Have you ever been on a plane that can't land? I have, and actually, it wasn't all panic the way Lodge tells it...
I was on my way to Adelaide (as usual) and preparing to land was announced. The plane got very close to the ground when the pilot chickened out and took us up again. The weather was lousy and he was nervous. As this happened a couple more times, it was interesting to observe the effect on the passengers.
I would have expected a diverse reaction. Self-important businessmen complaining about being late. Hysterics here and there. Somebody asking why couldn't they have a second lunch?
Whereas in fact the passengers pulled together as one and were on the pilot's side. If he didn't think it was right to land, we were with him. Not a murmur of dissent.
In due course the inevitable happened. The plane ran out of fuel. It was now or never. Might one define clarity as lack of choice? However impossible the pilot had thought landing to be, suddenly it was simple routine. It was a plane in the air that had to come down. Yea verily. We all cheered.
--------------------------------
I really do have to make random observations as I go along, reading this book, or I shan’t write anything at all.
'No country for old men.' Coen brothers movie....and okay, title of book by Cormac McCarthy. But here it is in a book written in the mid-eighties. Does this mean it has some other, even earlier origin which I should know and don’t, that is commonly borrowed? Has McCarthy taken it from Lodge? Come up with it independently? I’m dying to know the answer to this question. Somebody please enlighten me!
February 20, 2018
This was a very good book in all its aspects - very well written, solid storyline, witty, gives the reader what the reader needs. Mr Lodge writes more than once what a "romance" novel should be, and he delivers that.
I cannot wait to read the third one in the series. However, even if there is an open end, the book draws a lot of conclusions and actually open end is not that bad anyway. The reader is free to imagine his/her own end of the story.
Great book, i am really glad I discovered David Lodge and I highly recommend his books.
I cannot wait to read the third one in the series. However, even if there is an open end, the book draws a lot of conclusions and actually open end is not that bad anyway. The reader is free to imagine his/her own end of the story.
Great book, i am really glad I discovered David Lodge and I highly recommend his books.
January 24, 2024
For the first 50-100pp or so I stood (sat) aghast at my rating-from-distant-memory, at times (more than) a bit queasy with the novel's archaicisms in several respects or dimensions...aaand was thinking of DNFing, or at least cruising as rapidly as possible to a two-star personal revisionist history.
Then, as sometimes happens when you are 32 now finally (or 42, or...) and you are going home for Xmas and feeling so goshdarn mature in yourself that there's no way you're gonna act up over Xmas dinner like the 22 (or 12) year-old you displayed for everyone's delectation last year, I found my self regressing (or the novel progressing) to the point where I'm gonna leave the youngun's initial reading experience as my current one, stet: "I liked it a lot. Four stars" (ok, mebbe rounding up), in spite of itself or myself or both.
YMMV, of course, will vary I mean, surely. But if you want your campus novel like the campus novels of old, in a Jurassic park of the mind, well, this is one of the specimens on display in the museum of academic curiosities. Malcolm Bradbury's The History Man likely of some near relation (and this is part two of Lodge's own The Campus Trilogy: Changing Places / Small World / Nice Work). It may not be as droll as I remembered it, or nearly as clever, or something to give to a prospective GF or BF &c, or not any more. But it's a record of an era, in a way, and in a way a metaphorically apt one. And if nothing else, in our own era of anti-tenure legislation, at least a reminder that academics could still reasonably well-paying hold jobs, and even perchance (sci-fi now) be hired for one, on occasion.
Then, as sometimes happens when you are 32 now finally (or 42, or...) and you are going home for Xmas and feeling so goshdarn mature in yourself that there's no way you're gonna act up over Xmas dinner like the 22 (or 12) year-old you displayed for everyone's delectation last year, I found my self regressing (or the novel progressing) to the point where I'm gonna leave the youngun's initial reading experience as my current one, stet: "I liked it a lot. Four stars" (ok, mebbe rounding up), in spite of itself or myself or both.
YMMV, of course, will vary I mean, surely. But if you want your campus novel like the campus novels of old, in a Jurassic park of the mind, well, this is one of the specimens on display in the museum of academic curiosities. Malcolm Bradbury's The History Man likely of some near relation (and this is part two of Lodge's own The Campus Trilogy: Changing Places / Small World / Nice Work). It may not be as droll as I remembered it, or nearly as clever, or something to give to a prospective GF or BF &c, or not any more. But it's a record of an era, in a way, and in a way a metaphorically apt one. And if nothing else, in our own era of anti-tenure legislation, at least a reminder that academics could still reasonably well-paying hold jobs, and even perchance (sci-fi now) be hired for one, on occasion.
October 19, 2018
I read this years ago - over 20 years ago and found it funny then. But I reread it and funny - not so much. I still like the character Morris Zapp and the whole 'conference thing'. But I found as I was reading this that I was getting really pissed off in how most of the woman were written. If they were young - they were beautiful. If they were middle age -they were overweight, unattractive, and/or sexually unappealing. And of course the men weren't described in the same manner. Also adding to my being pissed off was the cavalier way in which middle aged men slept with their students or anyone other than their wives as if it was their right to do so or it was their wive's fault. Pissed off!! The other main character is Persse - a man-child who never grows up and by the end of the novel is just annoying.
April 29, 2015
This is a sort-of sequel to Lodge's book CHANGING PLACES. However, the two main characters of CHANGING PLACES are now secondary characters in this novel, which takes place 10 years later, roughly around 1979.
Lodge turns up the academic aspect to HIGH in this novel, which may drive away some readers. This is a novel filled with conferences such as MLA, a lot of literary theory, and a lot of professors who are out of ideas for books and articles.
Into all this enters our protagonist, the Irishman Persse McGarrigle. He is a professor of English who is still a virgin. At a conference one spring, he meets a beautiful, sexy, intelligent woman who he becomes obsessed with after only a few conversations and flirting sessions. When the conference is over she disappears and can't find her anywhere. He is full of despair. He asks everyone about her, but she seems to be sort of mysterious - showing up at every English Professor conference she can but not really a professor herself, and no one has any idea of what her address is or where to find her. Persse wants to write her a letter, but he can't because of this. So he starts a long and complicated journey from conference to conference around the world in order to try and find her again.
I have to note that I love how Persse's virginity is handled - it's no big deal. It's just another fact about him, like the fact that he's never been to Mexico. There's no 40-Year-Old-Virgin panic, no 'OMG this is so embarrassing I'm such a freak' shame, no long passages discussing exactly WHY he's a virgin. Lodge doesn't treat Persse's virginity as if it's some huge burden or problem or defect with the character. And when Persse DOES finally find himself in a sexual situation, the matter isn't even brought up and everything just proceeds normally - which I think is refreshing and realistic and an amazing move on Lodge's part.
This book, like all of Lodge's novels, is a comedy and a journey of self-discovery - not only for Persse, but for the other five or so side characters in this novels. They are all middle-aged or older men, which seems to be Lodge's forte.
I adore the way Lodge writes men and thoroughly enjoy being in these guys' heads for the duration of these novels. The reason I love it is because Lodge makes men seems so human. If you're wondering what I mean - let me explain.
In most books that are popular nowadays (young adult, new adult, romance, mysteries, thrillers) men seem so...one-note. They are either hardened bad boys, who are rakish and dangerous and just waiting for the right woman to love OR sweet kind men who are so nice and caring and provide that kind of neutered hero that is so popular in 'sweet' YA novels right now.
The men that Lodge writes are like actual humans - they have doubts, they don't make good decisions, they fumble, the fall in love with the wrong person, they get the 'girl of their dreams' but end up not being able to have an erection with her, they argue, they fight with colleagues who threaten their jobs, they despair, they hope, they dream, they are petty and they gossip a lot. We see them deal with their marriages, their children, their bastard children, their failing careers, their unexpected successes, their rivals for jobs, and their mistresses.
None of them are purely good, and none are purely evil. They are just struggling to make sense out of life.
This is a comedy and Lodge obviously believes that people are basically good and well-intentioned. You will find no murderers or rapists here. People do choose to do bad things in this novel: abandon their pregnant mistress, cheat on their wife or husband, seduce an innocent and then shrug and walk away, ignore someone in a troublesome situations pleas for assistance, or play a cruel practical joke on a person who's obviously mentally unstable.
I felt like all these 'bad deeds' the characters did were human and understandable, not done out of some evil deep-seated malice but instead done out of human fallibility. None of these men are heartless cads - but none are paragons of virtue either.
Same thing for the women in this novel, although we are not as privy to their thoughts as we are the men's. Women in this book are not either 'bad girls' or virgins, but instead human beings who are sometimes wonderful and sometimes petty or bitter.
The humor in these books is subtle - it sneaks up on you and makes you laugh out loud. It's not bludgeoning you with funny like in HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE or THE 100-YEAR OLD MAN. It's more situational comedy. You know certain things that the characters don't and you know they're in for a big surprise and can't wait to see their reaction.
The ending of this book is a mixed bag since Lodge gave me ALMOST everything I asked for, but leaves some measure of doubt about a key issue and therefore has me gnashing my teeth. Just a warning for readers who like all their loose ends tied up.
In my opinion, THERAPY is still Lodge's best book.
Lodge turns up the academic aspect to HIGH in this novel, which may drive away some readers. This is a novel filled with conferences such as MLA, a lot of literary theory, and a lot of professors who are out of ideas for books and articles.
Into all this enters our protagonist, the Irishman Persse McGarrigle. He is a professor of English who is still a virgin. At a conference one spring, he meets a beautiful, sexy, intelligent woman who he becomes obsessed with after only a few conversations and flirting sessions. When the conference is over she disappears and can't find her anywhere. He is full of despair. He asks everyone about her, but she seems to be sort of mysterious - showing up at every English Professor conference she can but not really a professor herself, and no one has any idea of what her address is or where to find her. Persse wants to write her a letter, but he can't because of this. So he starts a long and complicated journey from conference to conference around the world in order to try and find her again.
I have to note that I love how Persse's virginity is handled - it's no big deal. It's just another fact about him, like the fact that he's never been to Mexico. There's no 40-Year-Old-Virgin panic, no 'OMG this is so embarrassing I'm such a freak' shame, no long passages discussing exactly WHY he's a virgin. Lodge doesn't treat Persse's virginity as if it's some huge burden or problem or defect with the character. And when Persse DOES finally find himself in a sexual situation, the matter isn't even brought up and everything just proceeds normally - which I think is refreshing and realistic and an amazing move on Lodge's part.
This book, like all of Lodge's novels, is a comedy and a journey of self-discovery - not only for Persse, but for the other five or so side characters in this novels. They are all middle-aged or older men, which seems to be Lodge's forte.
I adore the way Lodge writes men and thoroughly enjoy being in these guys' heads for the duration of these novels. The reason I love it is because Lodge makes men seems so human. If you're wondering what I mean - let me explain.
In most books that are popular nowadays (young adult, new adult, romance, mysteries, thrillers) men seem so...one-note. They are either hardened bad boys, who are rakish and dangerous and just waiting for the right woman to love OR sweet kind men who are so nice and caring and provide that kind of neutered hero that is so popular in 'sweet' YA novels right now.
The men that Lodge writes are like actual humans - they have doubts, they don't make good decisions, they fumble, the fall in love with the wrong person, they get the 'girl of their dreams' but end up not being able to have an erection with her, they argue, they fight with colleagues who threaten their jobs, they despair, they hope, they dream, they are petty and they gossip a lot. We see them deal with their marriages, their children, their bastard children, their failing careers, their unexpected successes, their rivals for jobs, and their mistresses.
None of them are purely good, and none are purely evil. They are just struggling to make sense out of life.
This is a comedy and Lodge obviously believes that people are basically good and well-intentioned. You will find no murderers or rapists here. People do choose to do bad things in this novel: abandon their pregnant mistress, cheat on their wife or husband, seduce an innocent and then shrug and walk away, ignore someone in a troublesome situations pleas for assistance, or play a cruel practical joke on a person who's obviously mentally unstable.
I felt like all these 'bad deeds' the characters did were human and understandable, not done out of some evil deep-seated malice but instead done out of human fallibility. None of these men are heartless cads - but none are paragons of virtue either.
Same thing for the women in this novel, although we are not as privy to their thoughts as we are the men's. Women in this book are not either 'bad girls' or virgins, but instead human beings who are sometimes wonderful and sometimes petty or bitter.
The humor in these books is subtle - it sneaks up on you and makes you laugh out loud. It's not bludgeoning you with funny like in HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE or THE 100-YEAR OLD MAN. It's more situational comedy. You know certain things that the characters don't and you know they're in for a big surprise and can't wait to see their reaction.
The ending of this book is a mixed bag since Lodge gave me ALMOST everything I asked for, but leaves some measure of doubt about a key issue and therefore has me gnashing my teeth. Just a warning for readers who like all their loose ends tied up.
In my opinion, THERAPY is still Lodge's best book.
August 16, 2014
David Lodge’s is a small world; the Japanese call it a narrow world. It is a world of conferences - literary conferences, conferees, professors, writers, critics, linguistic enthusiasts and geniuses, universities, educationists and once through this novel, one would wonder if there does exist a world beyond these universities and conferences; where do WE live then or is our existence a myth? And these so called guardians and critics of literature are not bound merely to their books and epics and poems and poets; they are also travelers lovers, drinkers and for all that, a crazy lot too!
Persse McGarrigle is a conference virgin when we embark on this story, but by the end of it, he is spread, laid, banged and turned into a conference slut, if we can call him one, considering his rigorous globetrotting to attend and evade the miscellaneous conferences in search of Ms. Angelica Pabst, the most beautiful girl he has ever met, trying to finish her doctoral dissertation on Romance – how lovely! This is his disastrous, frustrating and comic journey around the world in search of the evasive girl who has played a prank on him and given him the skip, his true love because he believes in her and it. Persse is a virgin otherwise too, one of those who believe in keeping the sacred act reserved for the necessary suffering called marriage. But then the poor guy discovers that she isn't so sacred for this sacred plunge as one fine day, rather night, discovers her in the cheap bars of Soho, not only stripping but likely to do much more and then again discovers otherwise; she wasn't her, his Angelica after all. So imagine his plight when he finally finds her and plunges into bed and mounts and rides and rises to collapse, not once but thrice, and is exhausted and drained but still in love, only to find that the soft hills were not hers, the valleys were not hers and it was not she, Angelica; “Jassus”, Percy must have shouted out loud at the discovery of this disaster!
Persse and Angelica are of course not the only attendees at these conferences. There is Morris Zapp, the suave and witty university professor who is thoroughly proud of and so much in love with himself. I guffawed at one of the papers he presented on ‘The Interpretation of Text’. He has had a short romance with his friend Phillip Swallow’s wife, was deceivingly forced into a threesome by Fulvia Morgana, another professor and her husband, and now aspires and will marry Thelma Ringbaum, another professor’s wife. Is this book about infidelities, well this is just the beginning. Phillip Swallow, in turn has had limited fun with Morris Zapp’s wife, survived a plane crash, enticed Joy Simpson, wife of a fellow colleague who has been kind enough to give him shelter after the accident and is now ready to divorce his wife and family for the remembrance and life time reliving of that one passionate night. And here is Morris Zapp’s divorced wife, Desiree getting cosy in the sheets with Ronald Frobisher. Wow and there’s more!
Infidelity is just a part, you will marvel at the kind of coincidences Mr. Lodge has packed into this book. There are times, rather most of the times; you would scream “Oh, pleaseeee, spare me, that’s too much of a coincidence!”, but Persse McGarrigle will meet all the right people at the wrong places, bump into the wrong people at the right places, and of course the right people at the right places; all except Angelica of course! You will not complain though and love it nonetheless, at least I did! And not only Persse, but others too are magically placed together in flights and find each other rightfully in bars and restaurants, children lost 27 years ago find their parents when their old hitherto unknown father has just proposed to marry a girl his daughters’ age, messages left at the weirdest of places are gloriously discovered, a lost or rather runaway husband is found tragically when a boat is about to sink…and this…and that….
And embedded in this comic confusions and coincidences is literature, well thought of, well presented, giving a new dimension at the texts that we read, how we read them, register, perceive and form opinions about. This book is an easy read and God I have read it at leisure and enjoyed every bit of this witty novel. It came as a cool breeze of fresh air after having read ‘The Gathering’ and ‘As I Lay Dying’. Highly recommended if you desire a good laugh! Mr. David Lodge, I am definitely reading the next one!
P.S.: At a paper on the subject ‘The Function of Criticism’ presented by a few of our learned educationists and highly acclaimed laureates, Persse asked a simple yet very relevant question which silenced all the speakers. Look out for it.
This is a part of the oration of Dr.Morris Zapp on the presentation of his paper on ‘The Interpretation of Texts’ – Enjoy! (May seem offensive to some, but then that’s not me, it’s Morris Zapp or rather David Lodge).
“The classical tradition of striptease, however, which goes back to Salome’s dance of the seven veils and beyond, and which survives in a debased form in the dives of your Soho, offers a valid metaphor for the activity of reading. The dancer teases the audience, as the text teases its readers, with the promise of an ultimate revelation that is infinitely postponed. Veil after veil, garment after garment is removed, but it is the delay in the stripping that makes it exciting, not the stripping itself; because no sooner has one secret been revealed than we lose interest in it and crave another. When we have seen the girl’s underwear, we want to see her body, when we have seen her breasts, we want to see her buttocks, when we have seen her buttocks, we want to see her pubis, and when we see her pubis, the dance ends – but is our curiosity and desire satisfied? Of course not! The vagina remains hidden within the girls body shaded by her pubic hair, and even if she were to spread her legs before us [at this, several ladies in the audience noisily departed], it would still not satisfy the curiosity and desire set in motion by the stripping. Staring into that orifice, we find that we have somehow overshot the goal of our quest, gone beyond pleasure in contemplated beauty, gazing into the womb, we are returned to the mystery of our own origins. Just so in reading. The attempt to peer into the very core of a text, to possess once and for all its meaning is vain; it is only ourselves that we find there, not the work itself. To read is to surrender oneself to an endless displacement of curiosity and desire from one sentence to another, from one action to another, from one level of the text to another. The text unveils itself before us but never allows itself to be possessed; and instead of striving to possess it, we should take pleasure in its teasing.”
Persse McGarrigle is a conference virgin when we embark on this story, but by the end of it, he is spread, laid, banged and turned into a conference slut, if we can call him one, considering his rigorous globetrotting to attend and evade the miscellaneous conferences in search of Ms. Angelica Pabst, the most beautiful girl he has ever met, trying to finish her doctoral dissertation on Romance – how lovely! This is his disastrous, frustrating and comic journey around the world in search of the evasive girl who has played a prank on him and given him the skip, his true love because he believes in her and it. Persse is a virgin otherwise too, one of those who believe in keeping the sacred act reserved for the necessary suffering called marriage. But then the poor guy discovers that she isn't so sacred for this sacred plunge as one fine day, rather night, discovers her in the cheap bars of Soho, not only stripping but likely to do much more and then again discovers otherwise; she wasn't her, his Angelica after all. So imagine his plight when he finally finds her and plunges into bed and mounts and rides and rises to collapse, not once but thrice, and is exhausted and drained but still in love, only to find that the soft hills were not hers, the valleys were not hers and it was not she, Angelica; “Jassus”, Percy must have shouted out loud at the discovery of this disaster!
Persse and Angelica are of course not the only attendees at these conferences. There is Morris Zapp, the suave and witty university professor who is thoroughly proud of and so much in love with himself. I guffawed at one of the papers he presented on ‘The Interpretation of Text’. He has had a short romance with his friend Phillip Swallow’s wife, was deceivingly forced into a threesome by Fulvia Morgana, another professor and her husband, and now aspires and will marry Thelma Ringbaum, another professor’s wife. Is this book about infidelities, well this is just the beginning. Phillip Swallow, in turn has had limited fun with Morris Zapp’s wife, survived a plane crash, enticed Joy Simpson, wife of a fellow colleague who has been kind enough to give him shelter after the accident and is now ready to divorce his wife and family for the remembrance and life time reliving of that one passionate night. And here is Morris Zapp’s divorced wife, Desiree getting cosy in the sheets with Ronald Frobisher. Wow and there’s more!
Infidelity is just a part, you will marvel at the kind of coincidences Mr. Lodge has packed into this book. There are times, rather most of the times; you would scream “Oh, pleaseeee, spare me, that’s too much of a coincidence!”, but Persse McGarrigle will meet all the right people at the wrong places, bump into the wrong people at the right places, and of course the right people at the right places; all except Angelica of course! You will not complain though and love it nonetheless, at least I did! And not only Persse, but others too are magically placed together in flights and find each other rightfully in bars and restaurants, children lost 27 years ago find their parents when their old hitherto unknown father has just proposed to marry a girl his daughters’ age, messages left at the weirdest of places are gloriously discovered, a lost or rather runaway husband is found tragically when a boat is about to sink…and this…and that….
And embedded in this comic confusions and coincidences is literature, well thought of, well presented, giving a new dimension at the texts that we read, how we read them, register, perceive and form opinions about. This book is an easy read and God I have read it at leisure and enjoyed every bit of this witty novel. It came as a cool breeze of fresh air after having read ‘The Gathering’ and ‘As I Lay Dying’. Highly recommended if you desire a good laugh! Mr. David Lodge, I am definitely reading the next one!
P.S.: At a paper on the subject ‘The Function of Criticism’ presented by a few of our learned educationists and highly acclaimed laureates, Persse asked a simple yet very relevant question which silenced all the speakers. Look out for it.
This is a part of the oration of Dr.Morris Zapp on the presentation of his paper on ‘The Interpretation of Texts’ – Enjoy! (May seem offensive to some, but then that’s not me, it’s Morris Zapp or rather David Lodge).
“The classical tradition of striptease, however, which goes back to Salome’s dance of the seven veils and beyond, and which survives in a debased form in the dives of your Soho, offers a valid metaphor for the activity of reading. The dancer teases the audience, as the text teases its readers, with the promise of an ultimate revelation that is infinitely postponed. Veil after veil, garment after garment is removed, but it is the delay in the stripping that makes it exciting, not the stripping itself; because no sooner has one secret been revealed than we lose interest in it and crave another. When we have seen the girl’s underwear, we want to see her body, when we have seen her breasts, we want to see her buttocks, when we have seen her buttocks, we want to see her pubis, and when we see her pubis, the dance ends – but is our curiosity and desire satisfied? Of course not! The vagina remains hidden within the girls body shaded by her pubic hair, and even if she were to spread her legs before us [at this, several ladies in the audience noisily departed], it would still not satisfy the curiosity and desire set in motion by the stripping. Staring into that orifice, we find that we have somehow overshot the goal of our quest, gone beyond pleasure in contemplated beauty, gazing into the womb, we are returned to the mystery of our own origins. Just so in reading. The attempt to peer into the very core of a text, to possess once and for all its meaning is vain; it is only ourselves that we find there, not the work itself. To read is to surrender oneself to an endless displacement of curiosity and desire from one sentence to another, from one action to another, from one level of the text to another. The text unveils itself before us but never allows itself to be possessed; and instead of striving to possess it, we should take pleasure in its teasing.”
September 25, 2018
3.5 stars, rounded up
This novel, a loose sequel to the earlier 'Small World', shares many similarities - a comedy about the world of conferences and university academics. It is funny, occasionally even hilarious, and as usual with David Lodge, well-written.
It has a larger cast of characters, and a larger canvas - instead of focusing on the university campus, it sprawls across different conferences in many different parts of the world. The storyline is more fluid, covering a larger cast of characters as they travel to these conferences, with coincidence, chance meetings and romantic pursuit driving the narrative. Although this provides more scope for different set-pieces, which are all funny, it also makes it less a story with a plot, without a focus on a main character. in this way, I didn't like it quite as much as 'Changing Places', but still very enjoyable and recommended for a well-written, light comedy.
This novel, a loose sequel to the earlier 'Small World', shares many similarities - a comedy about the world of conferences and university academics. It is funny, occasionally even hilarious, and as usual with David Lodge, well-written.
It has a larger cast of characters, and a larger canvas - instead of focusing on the university campus, it sprawls across different conferences in many different parts of the world. The storyline is more fluid, covering a larger cast of characters as they travel to these conferences, with coincidence, chance meetings and romantic pursuit driving the narrative. Although this provides more scope for different set-pieces, which are all funny, it also makes it less a story with a plot, without a focus on a main character. in this way, I didn't like it quite as much as 'Changing Places', but still very enjoyable and recommended for a well-written, light comedy.
May 5, 2016
Ugh I finished it and it was kind of funny in parts and had a lot of archetypal moments but it was ... so... sexist. Women only have sex in order to further a man's story, and they don't have sex because they want it but because they are turned on by a guy who is selfishly desperate for it and so they 'give in' to him [I KNOW] and then they are denigrated by the men if they do have sex or are sex workers... the whole perspective of a very sexist, 70s guy was pretty awful. ALSO, the hero was such a clod! And there were too many characters to care about really what happened to any of them.
February 5, 2015
Finished reading it exactly one day before the M.A entrance exam, it feels like I have recapitulated everything I've been studying for this exam for the past few months. There was Norton anthology of English Literature there (adding some depth to my knowledge of the medieval literature and genre of romance- I should read Faerie Queen now, I guess) and also the whole gamut of literary criticism (explained way better than the Bressler guy- no offence, dude. Your textbook is still my favorite among the M.A sources.) Also, there were hell of a lot of GRE words which kept popping up, like a Leitner's learning box, only way more enjoyable and practical.
(It's probably indecent to acknowledge that, in addition to academic stuff, it added a whole lot to my knowledge of male and female anatomy - or certain parts of anatomy, anyway.)
"The world is a global campus," says Morris Zapp. I couldn't agree more.
THANK YOU, DAVID LODGE. YOU'RE COOL, SMALL WORLD IS COOL, GIANT WORLD IS COOL, ACADEMIA IS PROBABLY COOL TOO.
(It's probably indecent to acknowledge that, in addition to academic stuff, it added a whole lot to my knowledge of male and female anatomy - or certain parts of anatomy, anyway.)
"The world is a global campus," says Morris Zapp. I couldn't agree more.
THANK YOU, DAVID LODGE. YOU'RE COOL, SMALL WORLD IS COOL, GIANT WORLD IS COOL, ACADEMIA IS PROBABLY COOL TOO.
June 1, 2013
Witty, clever, amusing, well narrated. Some really great lines about this discourse on English professors on summer holiday: "We are all subjects in search of objects." Layered for a story line that broadly appeals with intriguing insight as to the real purpose of literary theory in bringing unknown writers to light. Laughed out loud at the story about the English prof who attended a seminar on the "Problems of the Colon" and who was an hour into the lecture before realizing he was attending the wrong medical venue. Very good but not great: light and easy to read.
May 30, 2018
Having read Changing Places, “to which this book is a kind of sequel,” says Lodge, I was eager for this one. I was not disappointed. The plot is barebones (academics globe-trot and vie for a sinecure endowed chair), the characters varied, the scope huge.
This novel is a modern epic; a social satire; a wickedly funny skewering, with a decidedly accurate feel, of academic pretension and trumpery; an allegory (of the quest for the Holy Grail); a love story; and more – it’s even a sly wink at the reader, as the various academics explain their own narrative functions by giving their opinions on text in general. A brilliant piece of work, and I was very sorry to come to the end after 385 pages.
This novel is a modern epic; a social satire; a wickedly funny skewering, with a decidedly accurate feel, of academic pretension and trumpery; an allegory (of the quest for the Holy Grail); a love story; and more – it’s even a sly wink at the reader, as the various academics explain their own narrative functions by giving their opinions on text in general. A brilliant piece of work, and I was very sorry to come to the end after 385 pages.
February 23, 2016
Un livre formidable car il réussit plusieurs prouesses :
- Celle d'être drôle sans jamais être grossier. Il croque les travers du monde universitaire avec une acuité qui n'a rien perdu de son actualité. Les travers sont tellement bien rendus qu'on y retrouve bien d'autres professions.
- Celle de raconter une véritable intrigue qui ne sert absolument pas de prétexte à ce qui pourrait ressembler au départ à une simple galerie de personnage.
- Celle d'être écrit avec un style plein de finesse et de légèreté qui rend la lecture agréable
- Celle de transformer un "simple roman" en livre quasiment culte tant il a ce côté pageturner, ce côté construit et intelligent.
Un coup de coeur
- Celle d'être drôle sans jamais être grossier. Il croque les travers du monde universitaire avec une acuité qui n'a rien perdu de son actualité. Les travers sont tellement bien rendus qu'on y retrouve bien d'autres professions.
- Celle de raconter une véritable intrigue qui ne sert absolument pas de prétexte à ce qui pourrait ressembler au départ à une simple galerie de personnage.
- Celle d'être écrit avec un style plein de finesse et de légèreté qui rend la lecture agréable
- Celle de transformer un "simple roman" en livre quasiment culte tant il a ce côté pageturner, ce côté construit et intelligent.
Un coup de coeur
October 4, 2020
Some books survive the test of time, and then there are books like 'Small World'. A sexist and misogynistic take on the academic sport of conference hopping, this book tracks a number of world-weary academics. They sleep around, cheat the system and use each other to promote themselves. The narrative is distant and the tone endlessly cynical. It might have passed for funny forty years ago but we've moved on, now. I usually finish what I start and I did try to with this one. But I gave up on it after 157 of 337 pages. What a waste of time it was.
November 22, 2023
2 estrellas por las molestias de leerlo , hasta las narices de los libros que manda cierta profesora
January 19, 2008
My brother Mike described this as the only book I've ever given him that he didn't like. I can understand why: lots of literary references, lots of in-jokes for English majors, graduate students, and anyone who's ever suffered through a course in literary theory. But I'm all of those things, and as I read Small Word through for the second time--this time in preparation to teach it at the end of my British Lit class--I found myself liking it even more than I did the first time. It's more than just a very funny satire on the pretensions of literary geeks; it's also a cleverly plotted, semi-allegorical critique of love, Romance, and sex, as well as a lucid primer on the very critical theories whose self-important adherents it mocks. It has its flaws, of course. All satire can get cartoonish at times, but I'm disappointed by the xenophobia with which the book surrenders to the most superficial stereotyping in order to depict its non-anglophone characters--the German critic is a Nazi, the French critic a lizard-like homosexual, the Japanese translator a humorless, mechanistic stiff who sings karaoke. English, Irish and American characters do not escape mockery, of course, but they tend to be depicted with more sympathy, their vices more charming than repugnant. Persse McGarrigle, the virgin Irish poet whose romantic quest drives the novel's plot, remains irretrievably (and delightfully) naive from beginning to end, playing Candide in the conferences and dupe in the bedroom. I identify with him less than I did on my first reading. This time, I find myself liking Morris Zapp and Philip Swallow. For all their infantile self-importance and infidelity, each emerges from his experiences chastened and restored to humanity. The book ends comically--all marriages and reunions. And the marriage between Philip and Hilary Swallow--the fragile, at times tediously mundane cohabitation that is the subject of some of the novel's least funny, most poignant scenes--somehow emerges as normative. Joy isn't elsewhere as the young or would-be-young imagine it--somewhere one must fly to in a never-ending quest--but at home with the windows open, letting the breeze blow in.
January 14, 2009
I love this book. Lodge manages to animate what would be, in lesser hands, cardboard stereotypes -- the humanist, the semiotician, the poststructuralist -- into vivid, hilarious, eminently *moving* characters. The novel, structured like a medieval romance, sees them all on a whirlwind world tour of academic conferences, tracing the rise and fall of their fortunes. Some of the best humor comes, I think, from sympathy and identification with others' flaws, and Lodge proves that proposal amply.
October 2, 2014
It was not always easy to identify the trama of various Chansons de geste and other romances, and I'm pretty sure I didn't recognize all of them, but who says I have to when I had such a good time just reading this novel? I didn't laugh so much reading a book in a long time. Erudition and accessibility, irony and humor, parody and subtle quoting, in a word, Lodge as we know him, Lodge in the best book of his famous trilogy (Changing Places, Nice Work, and of course Small World).
October 24, 2023
Perhaps the humor of Lodge's campus novels is a reaction to the more boring aspects of college life. But also the pronounced and persistent comparison of cultural differences between Britain and the United States. Small World is elegant and ruthless in its satire of academia world. David Lodge tells of groups of intellectuals who meet at conferences all over the world. Each with his own truth to proclaim. Because in the end, that's often what it's all about: The imposition of truths, but not the communication of the true meaning of things.
For me, it was very interesting to delve into Robin Dempsey and his relationship with AI Eliza, the only "entity" with whom he can fully vent, saying whatever is on his mind and denigrating his colleagues. Until he discovers the truth that Eliza (the AI) is hiding. The problem of consciousness in the machine is only touched on here, but it is already there. Lodge had already identified it, and it is interesting to compare what is happening today with what the writers had already predicted.
For me, it was very interesting to delve into Robin Dempsey and his relationship with AI Eliza, the only "entity" with whom he can fully vent, saying whatever is on his mind and denigrating his colleagues. Until he discovers the truth that Eliza (the AI) is hiding. The problem of consciousness in the machine is only touched on here, but it is already there. Lodge had already identified it, and it is interesting to compare what is happening today with what the writers had already predicted.
May 28, 2022
For reasons I will never understand Lucky Jim is considered to be a great novel, a funny novel and an academic novel. I am not qualified to question greatness, but on the other two counts Lucky Jim is a lot less than all that. Its use of the university campus is as a back drop and while it has some sharp barbs at the expense of life as a university instructor, they are generic and by now somewhat shop worn. The same jokes can and have been made about everything from Stalinist Russia to the Office. Usually done better.
This edition of Small World is not the one I have in front of me. This re-read is from the Warnre Books edition. The Penguin Books (June 1, 1995) edition was the one I first read. Not only did David Lodge’s Campus Trilogy alert me to this fine author, but it taught me to look for the distinctive covers that Penguin books had at that time. In 1995 most people went to book stores and you shopped shelves with the spine of the book as your only clue about at what you were looking.
Small World picks up a few years after the events of Changing Places. In that book, Professor of English, Philip Swallow. It trade out from the relatively insular life as a college professor in a mid-sized second rank English University, to the full on American West Coast , California experience of the Swinging Sixties campus life. In book two, Small World he has signed on to an entirely new aspect of life as a university scholar. He has joined the ranks of the traveling scholar. His date book is not about when to be in which classroom or even when he is to meet with the next promising graduate student. He is a research professor, living out his life one conference and one paper at a time. Success in this life is measured by who gives the key note address and who can hang what prestigious award on the university version of a wampum belt, his personal curriculum vitae.
It is said that on campus differences are fought viciously because the stakes are so small. Lodge proves that the viciousness is not limited to on campus. Place academics from many campuses in a bottle er, sorry the conference circuit and all kinds of academic jealousies are fought in all kinds of oh so civilized ways. The conference circuit is nearly continuous. It takes the professors, and aspiring PhD.s into all time zones. Time zones, not places because the in the flow of countries the actual locations are at once dizzying and geographically immaterial. All conference centers are alike and the larger world outside of the small world of presenting papers is of no matter.
Through the dozens of characters, Lodge maintains a steady pace of satire, jabs and polite put downs. All of them work because all of it is insider commentary on this aspect of academic life. Classically: Funny because it is true.
This edition of Small World is not the one I have in front of me. This re-read is from the Warnre Books edition. The Penguin Books (June 1, 1995) edition was the one I first read. Not only did David Lodge’s Campus Trilogy alert me to this fine author, but it taught me to look for the distinctive covers that Penguin books had at that time. In 1995 most people went to book stores and you shopped shelves with the spine of the book as your only clue about at what you were looking.
Small World picks up a few years after the events of Changing Places. In that book, Professor of English, Philip Swallow. It trade out from the relatively insular life as a college professor in a mid-sized second rank English University, to the full on American West Coast , California experience of the Swinging Sixties campus life. In book two, Small World he has signed on to an entirely new aspect of life as a university scholar. He has joined the ranks of the traveling scholar. His date book is not about when to be in which classroom or even when he is to meet with the next promising graduate student. He is a research professor, living out his life one conference and one paper at a time. Success in this life is measured by who gives the key note address and who can hang what prestigious award on the university version of a wampum belt, his personal curriculum vitae.
It is said that on campus differences are fought viciously because the stakes are so small. Lodge proves that the viciousness is not limited to on campus. Place academics from many campuses in a bottle er, sorry the conference circuit and all kinds of academic jealousies are fought in all kinds of oh so civilized ways. The conference circuit is nearly continuous. It takes the professors, and aspiring PhD.s into all time zones. Time zones, not places because the in the flow of countries the actual locations are at once dizzying and geographically immaterial. All conference centers are alike and the larger world outside of the small world of presenting papers is of no matter.
Through the dozens of characters, Lodge maintains a steady pace of satire, jabs and polite put downs. All of them work because all of it is insider commentary on this aspect of academic life. Classically: Funny because it is true.
August 29, 2019
Quando eravamo élite
Estremamente deludente ed irritante questo minestrone di luoghi comuni, intrecci da soap opera e perversioni - inoltre sente moltissimo gli anni passati, perchè sarebbe una lettura perfetta per tutti gli odiatori dei professoroni , qui dipinti come inutili e insulsi sfruttatori dei soldi pubblici, sprecati in viaggi, conferenze e battaglie da arrivisti per esaltare il proprio nome.
Non ho trovato nulla di divertente in queste pagine, solo un intreccio irrealistico, pesante e stupido come la sceneggiatura di una telenovela sudamericana (con i personaggi che si incontrano per coincidenza ogni tre pagine), tipizzazioni ignoranti (il tedesco nazista, l'irlandese vergine, l'italiana radical chic perversa, il turco povero e sporco), quintali di sesso volgare e noiosissimo - a questo punto non capisco perchè lo fa Massimo Boldi ci indigniamo, mentre se lo scrive un professore inglese dobbiamo dire che è arguto e spassoso.
Lo stile, poi, è sciatto, anonimo, senza alcuna invenzione nè originalità, al livello di una (scarsa) sceneggiatura per una commedia romantica hollywoodiana (di serie B)-
Estremamente deludente ed irritante questo minestrone di luoghi comuni, intrecci da soap opera e perversioni - inoltre sente moltissimo gli anni passati, perchè sarebbe una lettura perfetta per tutti gli odiatori dei professoroni , qui dipinti come inutili e insulsi sfruttatori dei soldi pubblici, sprecati in viaggi, conferenze e battaglie da arrivisti per esaltare il proprio nome.
Non ho trovato nulla di divertente in queste pagine, solo un intreccio irrealistico, pesante e stupido come la sceneggiatura di una telenovela sudamericana (con i personaggi che si incontrano per coincidenza ogni tre pagine), tipizzazioni ignoranti (il tedesco nazista, l'irlandese vergine, l'italiana radical chic perversa, il turco povero e sporco), quintali di sesso volgare e noiosissimo - a questo punto non capisco perchè lo fa Massimo Boldi ci indigniamo, mentre se lo scrive un professore inglese dobbiamo dire che è arguto e spassoso.
Lo stile, poi, è sciatto, anonimo, senza alcuna invenzione nè originalità, al livello di una (scarsa) sceneggiatura per una commedia romantica hollywoodiana (di serie B)-
November 18, 2023
Anytime an author does not simply say ‘car’ or ‘airplane’ but goes at lengths to name the exact type and model (e.g. Boeing 737 model 2 2014 type zx) you will know for a fact there is a 99% chance of encountering the Dan Brown trifecta: misogyny, a very forced romance between an older man and younger woman which adds nothing to the storyline, and horribly bad writing. It’s a shame as this book really could have been great, yet I can’t imagine any sane person could get through the 35-ish page part where 8 new people were introduced and their life stories were described in detail, alternating between each person every 20-25 sentences or so. Truly a creative way to ruin any good story which the author has gloriously succeeded in
July 31, 2011
The characters are charming and . However the plot is quite bland and I wouldn't read this book for the story itself. It has a drab storyline, but with a few funny moments it was readable.
But I'd recommend this book to fans of English literature and Academia. The discussions among the participants of the literary conferences in the novel can be hard to understand without previous knowledge of literary theory and academic use of English.
Nonetheless, I am highly impressed with Lodge's style of writing and can imagine reading his other novels. I only hope that those plots are more enticing.
But I'd recommend this book to fans of English literature and Academia. The discussions among the participants of the literary conferences in the novel can be hard to understand without previous knowledge of literary theory and academic use of English.
Nonetheless, I am highly impressed with Lodge's style of writing and can imagine reading his other novels. I only hope that those plots are more enticing.
June 14, 2017
Δεν ξέρω αν εν έτει 2016 θεωρείται ξεπερασμένο το κείμενο και η σάτιρα του Lodge, αλλά πιστέψτε με δεν είναι. Δεν μπορώ να θυμηθώ *πραγματικά* αστείο μυθιστόρημα άλλου συγγραφέα που να έχω διαβάσει τα τελευταία χρόνια. Μη σου πω ever και το χοντρύνω.
December 11, 2009
A delicious academic romance based upon the quest for the Holy Grail. An interview with David Lodge about the book, here.
June 14, 2023
DNF at barely 30 percent.
This book consist to one hundred percent of white male horny professors trying to get with every and any female student/research assistant/each other's wives/any female whatsoever that crosses their path - and all of that in the most brash and offensive way possible!
It is supposed to be satire and a lot of the scenes can be read sarcastically, true, but there is a line, and while the first book in the series was hilarious for the way it dealt with all of these issues, for me this second book clearly crosses that line, which is why I will not continue with the series...
This book consist to one hundred percent of white male horny professors trying to get with every and any female student/research assistant/each other's wives/any female whatsoever that crosses their path - and all of that in the most brash and offensive way possible!
It is supposed to be satire and a lot of the scenes can be read sarcastically, true, but there is a line, and while the first book in the series was hilarious for the way it dealt with all of these issues, for me this second book clearly crosses that line, which is why I will not continue with the series...
Read
May 24, 2023It's the sequel to Changing Places, and the groovy '60s are over, and now we're in the dawning world of the post-structuralists, flying from conference to conference, to cavort and swan about with other post-structuralists, fucking each other and fucking each other over, and engaging in ill-advised and moony-eyed Pierrot relationships, all against a background of high theory. I may have engaged in some similar behaviors recently, across multiple continents. At multiple points I thought "God this would be good material..." Lodge got there first.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 358 reviews