I’ve previously posted about my four favorite ‘campus novels.’ This concerns another, and a very different ‘another,’ but certainly a book worthy of a read.
The title is Stoner, because the prof is named William Stoner. And if one can set aside the drug connotations of the word, it is an apt Dickensian fit. The author is John Williams (not the composer), and he—like most—succeeded by writing about what he knew.
So, what to tell you about it… I’m not sure. I hate to ever ruin a plot, and here that’s mostly what there is: the character development of Stoner through the lens of early twentieth century midwestern academia. In the words of Edwin Frank, responsible for bringing the book back into print and thus to the ‘masses,’
I don’t think it’s a mistake to hear Camus behind it, this story of a lone man against the world choosing his life, such as it is. I sometimes say the books a bit like an Edward Hopper painting, wooden houses casting stark shadows on blank green lawns.
As a fan of Hopper—a print of Nighthawks hangs in my home—I’d say that fits, and it’s good enough for me. One thing I most liked were several passages of introspection, the content of which I won’t share because they would spoil plot development. But here’s a couple quotes that will give a flavor for the tenor and writing:
They talked late into the night, as if they were old friends. And Stoner came to realize that she was, as she had said, almost happy with her despair; she would live her days out quietly, drinking a little more, year by year, numbing herself against the nothingness her life had become. He was glad she had that, at least; he was grateful that she could drink.
___________
[A]s he walked slowly through the evening, breathing the fragrance and tasting upon his tongue the sharp night-time air, it seemed to him that the moment he walked in was enough and that he might not need a great deal more.
For those in the ivory tower, there are definitely some ‘academic foes’ you might recognize from your experiences. But it isn’t a book about academia. It is a book about life set in academia.
As usual, if you have any interest, I’d start by reading the book and then decide if you want more commentary. But, if you like things the other way round, here’s an argument the work is the best American novel, and here’s an argument it is a perfect novel, period. I think not… but it’s solid for sure (and ‘solid’ is a meaningful compliment in my book).
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