RE: paleonet Evolution & Health Sciences Assistant Professorship open

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Title: Re: paleonet Evolution & Health Sciences Assistant Profess

Further to my last posting, Bill did an excellent precis of Nice Work. In my view it is Lodge's masterpiece. The interplay between the young, left-leaning, idealistic lecturer in English, and the pragmatic factory manager is a superb study in human relationships. They are miles apart initially, but read the book to see how the relationship progresses. Aside of that, the book is wonderfully perceptive commentary on the Thatcher/Reagan years, both amusing and tragic in equal measure.

It was adapted for television by the BBC by the way - they did a very good job.

Jim Riding

British Geological Survey

Nottingham UK

-----Original Message-----
From: paleonet-owner@nhm.ac.uk [mailto:paleonet-owner@nhm.ac.uk]On Behalf Of Bill Chaisson/Deirdre Cunningham
Sent: 07 October 2004 13:23
To: paleonet@nhm.ac.uk
Subject: Re: paleonet Evolution & Health Sciences Assistant Professorship open

possibly you can do the community and me a favor and summarize the
main line(s) of the above-mentioned thoughts, particularly with
respect to academia.

From the context "University of Euphoria" appears to be not the best
thinkable name. On the other hand a German saying (now adopted
from a large company) says: "Future is made out of / from ideas".

Peter et al.

Changing Places is largely a send-up of the differences between British and American universities as they existed in the late 60s and into the 70s. Rummidge is a back-water staffed by lecturers with no publications and no Ph.D.s. Euphoria is a hothouse filled with professors who are constantly publishing and paying little attention to teaching. The student revolution is in full swing at Euphoria in 1969 and its first rumblings are felt that year at Rummidge. (Note: those who visited Berkeley before, say, 20 years ago, will find 'Euphoria' to be an apt, if not euphonic, pseudonym)

Small World is an examination of the international community of professors who spend all of their time jetting from conference to conference. The focal point of the book becomes the quest for the ideal professorship, which is a no-rules, sky's-the-limit budgeted, no teaching chaired endowed by ... UNESCO (!). A parallel plot involves a young Irish lecturer pursuing romance. The novel is chock full of references to Arthurian legend and the Grail quest.

Nice Work details the relationship between a feminist post-structuralist professor at Rummidge and a local industrialist. The gap between idealism and pragmatism appears to be unbridgeable at first, but elements of pragmatism and idealism soon appear in both camps. Academia and the world of business do not, in the end, seem to be that far apart.

Thanks to Andy Rindsberg for his list.

Bill
--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
William P. Chaisson
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY 14627

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