If you’re just about to head off to University for the first time you may be a bit nervous and apprehensive. Try not to worry, if you’re a bibliophile you already have all the tools you need, and you’ll soon make new friends. University days are a proper growing up experience where we see our characters formed, and they are so integral to growing up there’s even a sub-genre of literature dedicated to them. Campus novels is the name given to books set at University and we’ve put a few together as a pre-uni reading list for you.
Fill your boots and add these to your reading list before you head off on your university experience, and see how characters from literature handled the whole university thing.
The Groves of Academe – Mary McCarthy
The Groves of Academe is one of the earliest Campus Novels and predates the actual term, and while university life may have changed this sharp satire is a great look at university life through the eyes of a professor.
Starter for Ten – David Nicholls
David Nicholls is a great author, and in Starter for Ten he takes a look at British University life in the 1980s, where we meet Brian Jackson, fresher and member of the University Challenge team.
Lucky Jim – Kingsley Amis
This is a light read and makes many reading lists as the funniest book of all times. This was Amis’ first novel and follows the maladies of eponymous protagonist James Dixon, a junior professor at a provincial university.
The Art of Fielding – Chad Harbach
As the name suggests this is an all-American affair. The Art of Fielding features college baseball player, Henry Skrimshander through his first year at a college on Lake Michigan, but a wayward throw could end his dreams.
The Rules of Attraction – Bret Easton Ellis
American Psycho is Ellis’ best known work, and we’re pleased to say the The Rules of Attraction is a little easier to stomach, although both novels are set in the 80s and feature hedonistic, drug and sex-fuelled characters.
Pnin – Vladimir Nabokov
Pnin, named after its eponymous character is a tragic and sardonic take on University life and is said to be based on a professor at Cornell with poor, bumbling Pnin brought to life with Nabokov’s rich use of language.
Changing Places – David Lodge
We’ve tried to look at Campus Novels from both sides of the pond, and through the ages with this list and Changing Places covers it all. The novel is about an academic exchange between two fictional Universities (thought to be UC Berkley and The University of Birmingham) and offers a satirical look at the different styles of campus life. As a bonus, this one is also the first in a trilogy.
On Beauty – Zadie Smith
On Beauty is an enlightening campus novel that looks at religion, identity, race and classism, and Smith herself calls it a tribute to Howards’s End.
The Accursed – Joyce Carol Oates
This is one of several campus novels from Oates and it’s quite the read, Gothic, horrifying and full of crazy characters, you’re likely to get lost in the world of The Accursed.
Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
No list of campus novels would be complete without Brideshead Revisited, a pre WWII look at university life and the fast changing world.
That’s quite a varied list, and should set you in good stead to immerse yourself fully in University life.
However hard it gets, I promise you will look back on this time as the best time of your entire life. Good luck, you’ll have a ball!
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