Reading At A University Level - By Andrew Sullivan - The Daily Beast

Jeffrey J. Williams charts the rise of the academic novel in American fiction:

My thesis is that the academic novel stems from the rise of mass higher education in the United States.?It follows the demographics; the fact that two thirds of Americans go to college provides an audience. College is no longer a cloister but as common as the shopping mall. ... Professors were rare in the U.S. in 1900 ? only about 1 in 3,167 people was faculty. Medical doctors and lawyers were much more common ? about 1 in 600. However, by 2000 professors came to constitute 1 of 243, so they were a familiar professional to most American people ? especially to those who read literature, who in all likelihood went to college.

(Chart from Williams, who distinguishes the academic novel, focusing on faculty, from the campus novel, focusing on students.)

Source: http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/10/reading-at-a-university-level-.html

dan gilbert david stern david stern julian beever appeasement ian stewart ian stewart