This paper deals with the dismissal of a college-member in C.P. Snow’s The Affair and the desertion of a college-student in M. Bradbury’s The History Man, and with the reasons which led the characters that are involved to that decisions. What makes these two events so interesting that they become the topic of a term paper? What functions do they fulfill in these two university novels? Are there any similarities and/or differences between the colleges, the staff or the two cases? Which conclusions could be drawn? These kinds of scandals illustrated are triggering off whole strings of events in communities of colleges. They are indicators of political participation as well as the reason for a division or separation of the members of a college. Are the political participations of the victims the main reason for their dismissal or desertion, as it seems at first sight, or rather a superficial reason, more than that, the camouflage for personal ambitions of some characters in the two university novels discussed in this paper? Both narrators, Lewis Eliot and Howard Kirk, present their colleges as societies in society, almost hermetically sealed. Many authors, e.g. C.P. Snow, use the term microcosm for this phenomenon, that means, while the college gives outstanding people the impression of being a comprehensive and cohesive system, seen from the inside it shows a variety of social structures and interrelations. It does not only split into institutional coexistence of departments and courses, even in between these unities there are differences like social background and social status, ethnic-religious affiliation, age and gender. As we will see these characteristic features lead to a formation of a social hierarchy and sometimes even to the discrimination or exclusion of the bearer. In this connection college presents itself as a faithful reflection of the English society. Within the faculty, there is a distinct gradation, too, expressing itself in the rate of title and the authority connected with it. This feature triggers off a competition, even a rivalry within the faculty for benefits and power. College is, like the state it belongs to, “[a] world of professional success, power, ambition, influence among men”. -As The History Man shows us, not only among men. But the ways of life in colleges are not identical.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The British University:
2.1 A Microcosm
2.2 Cambridge University
2.3 Watermouth
3. The Expulsion:
3.1 The Affair and Howard’s Dismissal
3.2 The History Man and Carmody’s Desertion
4. Similarities and Differences
5. Conclusion
6. References:
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of a college member in C.P. Snow's The Affair and the forced departure of a student in Malcolm Bradbury's The History Man. It explores whether political beliefs are the primary drivers of these expulsions or if they serve as a facade for personal ambitions, professional rivalry, and institutional power struggles within the academic environment.
- The role of the university as a "microcosm" of society.
- Comparison of traditional (Cambridge) vs. modern (Watermouth) institutional cultures.
- The influence of internal political divisions on faculty and student status.
- The intersection of personal desire, manipulation, and academic power dynamics.
- The evolution of the university novel genre from the 1950s to the late 1960s.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 The History Man and Carmody’s Desertion
“[Howard Kirk] is the essential character, the center towards which all the others gravitate and around which they revolve, the “presence” against which their relative “absence” may be measured.” He is a radical and unscrupulous sociologist, who wants to make history and exercise as much power as possible. Kirk interprets his doctrine at Watermouth not as education for a scientific thinking but as indoctrination, and is therefore in agreement with the spirit of the college, which grasps itself as the spearhead of social change. Both, as a lecturer and in private, he does not tire in his hard-line propagation of human self-realization, his liberation of antiquated-appearing norms and constraints, and in the effort of bringing out a climate that serves such a development. Naturally this implies a just as resolute opposition to everything which is bourgeois, traditional and conservative. This is the reason why he calls George Carmody “[t]he enemy personified”. The conflict between Kirk and his student Carmody proves itself as a confrontation of Howard’s sociological radicalism and Carmody’s more conservative, value-oriented and liberal notion of culture he evolved out of his English studies. This ideological conflict opens up when Carmody wants to talk with Kirk about his marks:
‘It means I don’t see it your way,’ says Carmody. ‘Yes,’ says Howard, ‘you don’t see it sociologically.’ ‘Not what you call sociologically,’ says Carmody. ‘You have a better sociology?’ asks Howard, ‘this Anglo-Catholic classicist-royalist stuff you import from English and want to call sociology?’ ‘It’s an accepted form of cultural analysis,’ says Carmody. ‘I don’t accept it,’ says Howard. ‘It’s an arty-farty construct that isn’t sociology, because it happens to exclude everything that makes up the real face of society. By which I mean poverty, racialism, inequality, sexism, imperialism, and repression, the things I expect you to consider and account for. But whatever I do, whatever topic I set you, I get this same old stuff rolled out.’
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the scope of the paper, focusing on the dismissals in the two novels and questioning whether political participation is a genuine cause or a pretext for personal ambition.
2. The British University:: This section defines the college as a "microcosm" of society, contrasting the traditional structures of Cambridge with the modern, more volatile environment of Watermouth.
3. The Expulsion:: This chapter analyzes the specific cases of Howard’s dismissal in The Affair and Carmody’s forced departure in The History Man, highlighting the roles of power and manipulation.
4. Similarities and Differences: This chapter compares the narrative styles and thematic approaches of the two authors, contrasting Snow's optimistic secular humanism with Bradbury's pessimistic view of the 1960s.
5. Conclusion: The concluding chapter synthesizes findings, noting how campus novels reflect broader societal shifts and the changing function of the university as a workplace.
6. References:: This section lists the primary and secondary literature used to support the analysis of the university novels.
Key Words
University novels, C.P. Snow, Malcolm Bradbury, The Affair, The History Man, microcosm, academic freedom, political participation, Howard Kirk, George Carmody, British society, institutional hierarchy, campus satire, sociological radicalism, faculty politics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper explores the reasons behind the expulsion of college members in two British university novels, focusing on the tension between ideological differences and personal power agendas.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The themes include the internal politics of academic institutions, the role of universities as societal mirrors, the impact of political convictions, and the use of power to manipulate academic outcomes.
What is the central research question?
The author investigates whether the dismissal or desertion of characters is primarily driven by their political activities, or if these activities act as a camouflage for personal and professional ambitions.
Which methodology is employed in this study?
The study employs a comparative literary analysis, examining narrative structure, character motivation, and institutional settings in the selected novels.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the paper?
The main body compares the traditional setting of Cambridge in The Affair with the modern, radicalized setting of Watermouth in The History Man, followed by detailed analyses of the specific expulsion cases.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as academic freedom, microcosm, university novels, campus satire, and institutional power dynamics.
How do the characters of Howard Kirk and the characters in The Affair differ in their manipulation?
While characters in The Affair are bound by traditions and codes of conduct, Howard Kirk in The History Man acts as an unscrupulous radical who uses his position as a tutor to orchestrate personal goals, including sexual favors.
Why does the author consider Watermouth a "hostile to man" environment?
The author describes Watermouth as hostile because it is portrayed as a gloomy, modern institution where conformist behavior leads to depersonalization and a lack of traditional politeness.
- Citar trabajo
- Ismail Durgut (Autor), 2007, "The History Man" and "The Affair", Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/90950
