Monday, March 14, 2011

Ten of the best lectures in literature

At the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the best lectures in literature.

One title on the list:
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

Jim Dixon has to lecture on the subject of "Merrie England" to a mixed audience of gown and town. Unwisely he takes several reassuring snorts from a hip flask beforehand. Scared and drunk, he finds himself unconsciously imitating the ghastly Professor Welch, his boss. "He struggled on a little further, hearing Welch's intonation clinging round his voice, powerless for the moment to strip it away".
Read about another entry on the list.

Lucky Jim also appears on Sean O'Hagan's list of the ten best fictional hangovers, Roger Rosenblatt's list of the five best satires of academic life, and John Mullan's lists of ten of the best professors in literature and ten of the best beards in literature.

--Marshal Zeringue