I received David Lodge's Changing Places as a gift last Christmas from Terry Papillon, Director of University Honors at Virginia Tech. Terry has a tradition of giving the Honors staff specially selected books during the winter holiday party each year. He indicated that he selected this particular book for me as he knew I was about to pursue my PhD in higher education. He told me he thought as it was a novel about higher education, that I should read it.
I'm glad that Terry shared this book with me. I found it to be rather entertaining, from several different levels. At times, Lodge's writing reminded me of Douglas Adams' satire, a form I greatly enjoy. I found myself laughing frequently. Additionally, Lodge uses different styles of writing during the various sections of the book, with the conclusion written as a screenplay. Finally, Lodge also shows his knowledge of varying campus typologies and his description and comparisons are equally humorous.
Set in the 1960s, the plot of the book focuses on two professors of English, one from a small university in England and the other from a large state university on the West coast, who swap positions for a semester. This changing of posts at the university ultimately impact more than just their academic careers and the resulting antics are what make up the meat of the novel.
This would be a good read for anyone who works at or studies institutions of higher education and is looking for a laugh.
Changing Places
I'm glad that Terry shared this book with me. I found it to be rather entertaining, from several different levels. At times, Lodge's writing reminded me of Douglas Adams' satire, a form I greatly enjoy. I found myself laughing frequently. Additionally, Lodge uses different styles of writing during the various sections of the book, with the conclusion written as a screenplay. Finally, Lodge also shows his knowledge of varying campus typologies and his description and comparisons are equally humorous.
Set in the 1960s, the plot of the book focuses on two professors of English, one from a small university in England and the other from a large state university on the West coast, who swap positions for a semester. This changing of posts at the university ultimately impact more than just their academic careers and the resulting antics are what make up the meat of the novel.
This would be a good read for anyone who works at or studies institutions of higher education and is looking for a laugh.
Changing Places
