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Complicating the “Calling” of Academic Work:
An evening discussing the novel Stoner by John Williams.

Published in 1965, John Williams’s novel Stoner was largely unrecognized until it was republished in the 2000s. It chronicles the quiet life of an English professor at a midwestern state university. Pointedly secular, Stoner nevertheless frames academic work in religious terms. And yet, the novel is not straightforward about the purpose, meaning and fulfillment of academic labor. It raises serious questions about the purpose of the university, the idea of vocation, and the role of solitude and community in the intellectual life.

Prior reading is expected, though one need not have finished the novel to participate. This discussion is open to faculty, graduate students, and, with permission, advanced undergraduates.

Facilitators

  • David Marno

    Associate Professor of English at UC Berkeley

  • Dena Fehrenbacher

    Executive Director of the Berkeley Institute

RSVP

All participants can receive a free copy of the novel before the event. Space is limited; please RSVP.