We Love Brussels
  • Urban Life
    • Urban Jungle
    • Photo Stories
    • But Why?
    • Smart City
    • City Branding
    • Seniors
    • Real Estate
  • Culture & Creativity
    • New Economy
    • Local Makers & Shakers
    • Illustrations
    • Fashion City
  • Discover & Meet
    • Travel & Tourism news
    • Foodie guide
  • Event Diary
  • Europolitan Trends
Brussels Inspiration Bureau
Social Links
Instagram 70K Followers
Facebook 71K Followers
X / Twitter 10K Followers
  • Our Story
  • Partnerships & Collaborations
  • Contact
70K
71K
10K
We Love Brussels
We Love Brussels
  • Urban Life
    • Urban Jungle
    • Photo Stories
    • But Why?
    • Smart City
    • City Branding
    • Seniors
    • Real Estate
  • Culture & Creativity
    • New Economy
    • Local Makers & Shakers
    • Illustrations
    • Fashion City
  • Discover & Meet
    • Travel & Tourism news
    • Foodie guide
  • Event Diary
  • Europolitan Trends
  • Community news
  • Building the platform
  • Community of city admirers
  • Partnerships & Collaborations
  • Get in Touch
Become our contributor. Join the team!

Sign up for our newsletter

Get our periodical updates. Zero spam.

  • culture & creativity

VUB professors write about campus literature

  • Editorial Team
  • May 27, 2021
  • 2 minute read

The academic world appeals to the imagination, not least to that of authors. In Anglo-American literature of the 20th century in particular, the campus novel came to its heyday as a satirical dissection of academic life. It is also the case in Dutch literature, such as Onder professoren by WF Hermans or Veel geluk, professor by Aster Berkhof.

VUB professors Inge Arteel, professor of German literature, Janine Hauthal, professor of intermedial studies, and Janna Aerts, guest lecturer in English literature, place the genre in an international context in their book Campus Fictions: Literary and Intermedial Constructions of the University World. The contributions – in English, Dutch and French – show that campus literature is actually a reflection of developments in the academic world. Or, as the editors write: “The many innovations of the genre mean that the campus novel has liberated itself from clichés in recent years. This book can therefore make an important contribution to the debate about where the university is going and can go.”

The book stems from a study day held by the research group CLIC (Centre for Literary and Intermedial Crossings) and examines how campus novels represent the microcosm of academia and academic life. It discusses popular English-language examples (by Malcolm Bradbury, Tim Parks, James Hynes, Ian McGuire and others) as well as lesser-known novels from American, British, Dutch, German and Romanian literature of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Rebecca Goldstein, Christine Brooke-Rose, Wouter Oudemans, Thea Dorn andAlexandru Muşina. It also covers hybrid and intermedial genres such as philosophical memoirs (those of Louis Althusser, for example), detective stories, internet literature and blogs that explore the boundaries between fact and fiction. A literary-historical contribution traces the history of campus fiction in the German “Gelehrtensatire” (scholarly satire) of the 18th and 19th centuries.

The contributors show how writers of campus fiction often choose satire and write critically. Power relations between teachers and students are food for sharp portraits. Some authors target the clichés of the traditional campus novel in which women hardly play a role; others cast the university environment in the form of a crime or detective novel. In recent decades, the economic situation of the university, the university as a biotope of intellectual debate and the growing internationalisation of teachers and students have also caught the eye of the authors. Online forms of campus fiction are also appearing more and more frequently. In a playful way, they invite reflection on the expectation that one should communicate science to a broad audience in an attractive way as if it were “a peepshow” (Eelco Runia).

In the introduction, the editors outline the history of VUB, and a foreword written by rector Caroline Pauwels is also included. She says she has learned from this book “that the format of the campus novel is in full change. It is interesting to read how the genre developed and burst out of the classical seams. You hear new voices, read about new experiences, in new locations.”

Total
0
Shares
Like 0
Tweet 0
Share 0
Share 0
Like 0
Share 0
Editorial Team

WeLoveBrussels is a digital platform focusing on the city life, culture, creativity, events, amazing places, lifestyle, urban development trends and simple beauty around us.

You May Also Like
View Post
  • culture & creativity
  • local makers & shakers

#ClickRevolution: Watch the trailer for the new documentary film by Brussels-based director Anja Strelec

  • Editorial Team
  • June 11, 2025
View Post
  • archi & urban heritage
  • culture & creativity
  • travel & tourism

Discover Brussels with Art Deco edition of Art Nouveau Pass

  • Editorial Team
  • June 11, 2025
View Post
  • archi & urban heritage
  • culture & creativity

Unveiled: Two new galleries celebrate 19th century decorative arts and Belgian Art Nouveau & Art Deco

  • Editorial Team
  • June 10, 2025
Brussels Inspiration Bureau

Exploring the best of Brussels since 2014. Get our free monthly newsletter!

Discover more!
Our columnists & bloggers:
Aleksandra Rowicka
Addicted to cultural life of Brussels, fashion photography and dark…
Aris Setya
Indonesian living in Brussels. Passionate about photography. Love…
Boro Milovic
Boro is the founder and editor-in-chief of WeLoveBrussels. His interests…
Dorka Demeter
Dorka is a Hungarian expat living in Brussels for 10 years. Admirer of…
Karolina
Karolina is a blogger sharing stories on European cities, local…
Laurence-Anne Doetsch
Brussels-born and bred, a few years living in Toronto only convinced her…
Meredith @ellesbxl
Meredith Geldof is a Flemish girl who moved to Brussels and enjoys…
Priyanka Roy Banerjee
Blogger, writer and editor at Writersmelon. Blogs: One and a Half…
Salvatore Costantino
Salvatore is an archeologist who has crossed over into contemporary…
Tireless_Traveler
Nath is born and raised in Brussels but with a serious case of…
Incentives & events in Brussels:
Incentives & events in Brussels:
Download our free guide!

Views & opinions expressed across this website are solely that of the authors and contributors themselves and may not reflect the position of WeLoveBrussels. The editorial or publisher of WeLoveBrussels cannot be held responsible for expressed opinions or unintended errors and oversights if any.

Get our periodical updates. Zero spam.

Instagram 70K Followers
Facebook 71K Followers
X / Twitter 10K Followers
WeLoveBrussels
  • Our story & more
  • Get in Touch
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal notice
Brussels Inspiration Bureau. Your guide to city life, culture, business, travel, Brussels events agenda & cultural diplomacy.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.