This story opens as many do––with the blaring of an alarm clock. Rather than rushing across campus to class, the protagonist walks sleepily to the desk on the other side of the room and sits down. She opens her computer and logs onto Zoom, where she then sits through class––or a series of classes––all from the “comfort” of her own bedroom. The novel proves to move slowly, as Zoom classes are her main activity, along with homework and the occasional family walk. The protagonist also partakes in car rides with no destination, and meets up with her friends once throughout the entire story, but it’s in a parking lot where they are standing six feet from one another.  The novel as a whole lacks a sense of urgency and purpose, as the protagonist’s actions seem repetitive and mundane. There is no true climax or resolution, and––from the way the story ends––it does not look like there will be anytime soon. To be blunt, this piece of work is incredibly uneventful, and if this is what is considered the new campus novel, then I do not anticipate myself reading any more of this genre in the future. 

Though the novel described above does not exist, it illustrates how the “campus novel” would be written if it were based on the events and circumstances of the present day. In regard to the genre as a whole, the core of the campus novel is, naturally, the college or university setting. These novels typically surround the dynamics among students, as well as that between a student and a professor––all while capturing the social, academic, and sometimes romantic struggles of college life. Although such struggles often seem catastrophic as a college student, they are very much contained inside the bubble that is the campus and do not have much effect on the real, surrounding world––hence why campus novel author, David Lodge, claims that this genre “belongs to the literature of escape, and why we never tire of it.” Similarly, the campus novel attracts those who have attended college and those who have not alike, for some can relate to the experiences first hand, while others find solace and amusement in the playful humor that is often riddled throughout. One of the earliest examples of the campus novel is Mary Mcarthy’s The Groves Academe, which follows professor Henry Mulcahy finding out that he was fired from his teaching position. Though the genre started with Mcarthy, it has continued to evolve over the decades and has come to include works like David Lodge’s Changing Places and Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl. 

In his 85 years, David Lodge has successfully made a name for himself within the literary world. He has written reviews, essays, plays, and even a pair of memoirs covering different portions of his life. Lodge is best known, though, for his contribution to the campus novel genre. His novels almost exclusively have academic settings, in which he satirizes college life and the distinct people within it. Lodge’s Changing Places is the first of what is known as the “Campus Trilogy,” which also includes Small World: An Academic Romance and Nice Work. It follows English professors Morris Zapp and Philip Swallow as they switch jobs and, essentially, lives. Modeled after the University of California at Berkeley, Swallow assumes Zapps’s position at Euphoric State, and Zapp takes over Swallow’s position at the University of Rummidge, which is modeled after the University of Birmingham. The pair lives each other's lives to the fullest, from teaching classes and socializing with colleagues to sleeping with the other’s wife. Lodge tells the stories of Swallow and Zapp quite creatively, as he includes letters back and forth between the characters, excerpts and headlines from newspapers, and even closes the novel in the style of a film script. I found these different modes of telling the narrative to be a bit scrambled and unnecessary, for even in the sections where the story is told in a traditional novel-like manner, Lodge jumps back and forth between the perspectives of Swallow and Zapp frequently, potentially causing the reader to struggle to keep up with each of their individual experiences. However, if Lodge’s goal was to create a textually interesting and humorous novel that keeps his reader engaged, I think he succeeded in doing so. Though it is unclear exactly what will come of this swap of lives and Swallow and Zapp at the end of the story, that is precisely why there are two more novels in the “Campus Trilogy.” 

Though their collections of work differ, Rainbow Rowell, like David Lodge, has contributed to the campus novel genre. After publishing her first novel in 2011, Rowell has not stopped writing since. Her Young Adult novel Eleanor and Park has won several awards, and she made her graphic novel debut in 2019 with Pumpkinheads. Rowell even brought the fantasy book series that she mentions in her novel Fangirl to life in her novels Carry On and Wayward Son. Fangirl proves to fit into the campus novel genre, as it focuses on Cath Avery and her transition into college life. While her twin sister Wren is outgoing and open-minded toward all that college has to offer, Cath is reserved and would much rather stay in her dorm room writing fanfiction about the Simon Snow fantasy book series. The girls’ two opposing outlooks on life have to do with how they cope with their overcompensating father and estranged mother. Throughout the novel, Cath is able to slowly come out of her shell, as she endures a tough professor, a roommate who is unapologetically herself––sometimes for the worst––her sister developing a drinking problem, and the nerves that come with interacting with a kind, handsome boy. Rowell even includes fitting excerpts from the Simon Snow novels and Cath’s fanfictions to truly immerse the reader into that world, so that they can further understand Cath’s interests and where she is coming from throughout the story. In Fangirl, Rowell expertly captures different types of people in college, and how each adapts to the uncertainties and new experiences. Because of this, I think it is a novel that many young people––especially college students––can relate to. I saw myself in Cath when I first read it in eighth grade, and I see myself in her today more than ever. 

Changing Places and Fangirl are two very different, but entertaining and well-written examples of the campus novel, as they zero in on the college campus and the experiences within it. Whether you are looking at it from the point of view of the professor or the student, it is clear that in 2020, the college experience is very different for everyone involved. However, when honing in on the student perspective specifically, young adults are not receiving the full college experience that they expected and, more importantly, paid for. When looking at it from a mental health standpoint, there is undoubtedly a sense of anxiety among college students––Cath of Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl is a perfect example of this. Cath is a naturally shy person, as she allows her freshman year nerves to prevent her from living her college life to all of its potential. When combining the newness and uncertainty of college with the often copious amount of school work, college students’ levels of stress and anxiety are known to be high. As recorded by Harvard Health Publishing, the American College Health Association Fall 2018 National College Health Assessment found that 63% of college students in the United States feel overwhelmed by anxiety. 23% of these college students have been diagnosed or treated by a medical professional for anxiety. Harvard Health Publishing also reported that levels of anxiety, depression, and stress are the highest during a student’s first year in college and remain at a similar level into their second year. All of these statistics are based on pre-COVID-19 studies, and prior to all of the chaos that has come with the year 2020. 

As mentioned previously, college today is completely different than it has ever been before. Most classes are being held via Zoom and assignments are being submitted electronically. Many students are taking classes from home, and for those who are on their college campus, many restrictions are put in place to regulate both the in-person classroom experience and social activities. On top of this, students often have the stress of elderly family and friends contracting COVID-19, and some even have to mourn the loss of them as well. Although all of these guidelines are put forth with the health of the campus community in mind and such things come along with living in a pandemic, it can take a toll on the mental health of the students––even more so than normal. A study conducted by researchers at Texas A&M University surveyed 195 college students on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their mental health. 71% of the students surveyed reported an increase in stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and then disclosed what they believe is causing this increase. 91% of students reported that the pandemic has directly and negatively impacted them and their family, 89% reported difficulty concentrating, 86% reported a decrease in social interactions with students and professors, and 82% reported an increase in their concern for their academic performance. The study then showed that in order to cope with this heightened stress and anxiety, college students found support in others or found some sort of coping mechanism––whether it be negative or positive. 

As a college student in 2020, I can say that I have felt some of the same things that the students in the study have experienced. Because I am a sophomore, I was able to have a somewhat normal college experience during my first year, and for that I feel very grateful. However, to say that the transition to online learning was easy would be a lie––and I can imagine this feeling was familiar to many college students during this past year. I––and so many others across the country––went from attending classes in person and connecting with my professors, spending time with my friends, and, most importantly, having a sense of independence when on campus to being crammed back into my childhood bedroom in a small town in New Jersey. Being with my family at the onset of a very frightening time felt good, but as the months passed I do think being home took a toll on my mental health. Being sent home from college the second time was not any easier, and similar negative feelings resurfaced. I know I am not the only one out there feeling these emotions, and I do feel fortunate that we are all going through this together. We all must take things one day at a time, and continue to become comfortable with uncertainty. Though, it is easy to admit that it can be difficult to feel that sense of solidarity when we are now distanced from those we once saw everyday.  

As for the fate of the campus novel genre today, there are two sides of the spectrum that should be considered. When reading already existing campus novels––like Changing Places and Fangirl––the reader can easily find solace in the traditional college experience. Some can connect to an experience that they feel lucky to have had in full, some can reminisce on how their experience has changed over the past year, and some can muse on an experience that is completely different from the one that they are currently enduring. Such novels are undeniably comforting during these times, and can provide an escape from the reality of the college experience today. On the flip side of things, if a campus novel was written about college today, it would be unlike anything that has ever been included in the genre. Though it would stand out amongst the others, the college students of today would be able to understand and connect to it in a way that they cannot to a traditional campus novel. As new television shows and other forms of media are being released, many are addressing the pandemic and creating plotlines that align with it. As nice as it is to escape 2020, it is equally as nice to be able to see it on the screen. That is exactly why there is a beauty to talking to neighbors, family, and friends during this pandemic––because we are all going through the same thing. Although my answer may have been different if I was asked about it this time last year, today, I am completely in favor of a 2020 COVID-19 pandemic campus novel, and I can imagine many other college students are as well.