tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post3403939073762941989..comments2023-10-15T04:23:50.187-04:00Comments on College Misery: Big Thirsty: Pompous Professors in FictionUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-68892791361375548802013-12-20T22:15:08.637-05:002013-12-20T22:15:08.637-05:00Big-time soft spot for Prof. Welch from *LUCKY JIM...Big-time soft spot for Prof. Welch from *LUCKY JIM*!Lexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08353211383898810500noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-63509867092924966322013-12-20T11:09:06.699-05:002013-12-20T11:09:06.699-05:00Not pompous, and not literature, but Sam Kinison a...Not pompous, and not literature, but Sam Kinison as Professor Turguson in the movie "Back to School".<br />Prof Poopieheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00997969128824319914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-18992795731992307562013-12-20T09:12:40.936-05:002013-12-20T09:12:40.936-05:00Morris Zapp. Pompous, yet I love him.Morris Zapp. Pompous, yet I love him.Untenured Ursulahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12107788326951579690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-38070664237039713522013-12-20T06:59:49.636-05:002013-12-20T06:59:49.636-05:00Not really a prof, and more incompetent than pompo...Not really a prof, and more incompetent than pompous, but I keep thinking of Christopher Wish, the expedition scientist in The Ascent of Rum Doodle. Averaging a large number of estimates from 30,001 to 50 thousand, allowed a conclusion that the exact height of the mountain was 40,000&1/2 feet. Rosencrantz Andor Guildensternhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05095512139776536635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-42903269369365481432013-12-20T01:40:17.093-05:002013-12-20T01:40:17.093-05:00Dean Vernon Wormer, for the phrase, "Double S...Dean Vernon Wormer, for the phrase, "Double Secret Probation!"<br />Sawyer in Student Serviceshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16463333151790071057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-12920149542241504542013-12-20T00:16:45.185-05:002013-12-20T00:16:45.185-05:00Mr. Casaubon, seconded! He is my nightmare. Mr. Casaubon, seconded! He is my nightmare. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05870951375586185772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-454528622072906102013-12-19T23:08:59.318-05:002013-12-19T23:08:59.318-05:00Also from Harry Potter, although "pompous&quo...Also from Harry Potter, although "pompous" might not be the correct adjective, Professor Snape for just one line: "Perhaps it has escaped your attention, Mr. Potter, but life is not fair."Garyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00331203839723194193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-4549955790699892902013-12-19T21:59:18.612-05:002013-12-19T21:59:18.612-05:00Everyone in The Lecturer's Tale, save the narr...Everyone in The Lecturer's Tale, save the narrator. A rogues gallery of perfect tropes.Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16403289509523215570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-54321146148026108012013-12-19T21:22:13.374-05:002013-12-19T21:22:13.374-05:00How about Pnin?How about Pnin?Three Sigmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10822893039310439770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-47808781150492654602013-12-19T21:05:03.942-05:002013-12-19T21:05:03.942-05:00I rather doubt if even tenure would allow one to a...I rather doubt if even tenure would allow one to act that way, nowadays. I've thought of using some of Kingsfield's lines (particularly the one about "Here's a quarter to call your Mom and tell her that you'll never be an astronomer," to a student who hadn't done the reading assignment), but the prospect of the wailing and the sniveling, both by the student and by Froderick Frankenstien from Fresnohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11653942918068535424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-2727837088678072392013-12-19T20:59:16.408-05:002013-12-19T20:59:16.408-05:00It's outright scandalous for me to have forgot...It's outright scandalous for me to have forgotten, but Groucho Marx as Professor Quincy Adams Wagstaff in "Horsefeathers" (1932). That was back in the days in which professors still became university presidents, and said things like "You know you've got the brain of a four-year old child, and I bet he was glad to get rid of it," and:<br /><br />Connie: Oh, Professor, Froderick Frankenstien from Fresnohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11653942918068535424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-49010781949053657582013-12-19T20:09:17.894-05:002013-12-19T20:09:17.894-05:00Nowadays, acting like Kingsfield would probably ge...Nowadays, acting like Kingsfield would probably get most of us fired...or at least not tenured.CrayonEaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10126396989880932207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-36222177741885631792013-12-19T16:36:13.348-05:002013-12-19T16:36:13.348-05:00Niels Klim from The Journey of Niels Klim to the W...Niels Klim from The Journey of Niels Klim to the World Underground is quite fun (Holberg generally writes entertaining academics--he was one himself). After falling into a cave in the earth, Niels Klim finds himself orbiting a planet and has the following encounter:<br /><br />"While I was thus amused with the thoughts of being in the neighbourhood of the gods, and was congratulating myselfBRÜNNHILDEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12077988176385246842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-49963414295094356462013-12-19T16:11:39.563-05:002013-12-19T16:11:39.563-05:00Dr. Talc in A Confederacy of Dunces.Dr. Talc in A Confederacy of Dunces.Dr. Colossushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14470085457331712203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-36014487434568609192013-12-19T15:42:18.078-05:002013-12-19T15:42:18.078-05:00Gerald Gilley in Bernard Malamud 's A New Life...Gerald Gilley in Bernard Malamud 's A New Life. Annie Oakleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02396950355961607377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-34474747611427802732013-12-19T13:28:12.063-05:002013-12-19T13:28:12.063-05:00Am I allowed to add another one? Gilderoy Lockhart...Am I allowed to add another one? Gilderoy Lockhart in the Harry Potter books.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02906546940408742913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-5659317385569077142013-12-19T12:17:22.904-05:002013-12-19T12:17:22.904-05:00Julian Morrow in The Secret History.Julian Morrow in <i>The Secret History</i>.Southern Bubba, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12050992903794385204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-28614714461575101752013-12-19T10:25:44.022-05:002013-12-19T10:25:44.022-05:00My favorite (oddly enough) is Professor Peter Kien...My favorite (oddly enough) is Professor Peter Kien, from Elias Canetti's novel Auto-Da-Fe' (<i> Die Blendung </i>, 1935). In the best snowflake tradition I'll cut/paste from Wikipedia (entry <i> Auto-da-Fe' </i>) to give you the flava:<br /><br />"The protagonist is Herr Doktor Peter Kien, a middle-aged philologist and Sinologist, uninterested in human interaction or sex, Peter Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00754472537710161295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-9846827829992434752013-12-19T09:06:44.311-05:002013-12-19T09:06:44.311-05:00...and YES!, to Pratchett....and YES!, to Pratchett.Mrs. Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00398436173535554878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-83818247393744328352013-12-19T09:06:08.603-05:002013-12-19T09:06:08.603-05:00YES!, to Sayers.YES!, to Sayers.Mrs. Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00398436173535554878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-43302354689235365052013-12-19T08:59:32.107-05:002013-12-19T08:59:32.107-05:00Charles W. Kingsfield Jr. and then Mustrum Ridcul...Charles W. Kingsfield Jr. and then Mustrum Ridcully in the Discworld novels. Although he's an Archchancellor and not a professorMiddle-Aged and Morosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046076243513948921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-27097175635516176492013-12-19T08:53:45.268-05:002013-12-19T08:53:45.268-05:00Casaubon from George Eliot's Middlemarch (part...Casaubon from George Eliot's <i>Middlemarch</i> (partially because I have fears that my scholarship tends in the same direction, though I have become much better at keeping the manageability of a project in mind as I have aged/matured. One of the hidden benefits of a 4/4/2 load). <br /><br />For professors (and deans!) I actually like, see Dorothy Sayers' <i>Gaudy Night</i>. Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-64296936984772240842013-12-19T08:45:36.183-05:002013-12-19T08:45:36.183-05:00That's me teaching in medical school in Young ...That's me teaching in medical school in Young Frankenstein (1974, by Mel Brooks). The unfortunate emphasis with the scalpel did hurt.<br /><br />Runner-up is Charles W. Kingsfield Jr., in "The Paper Chase" (1973).<br /><br />After that are the academics in the flying island of Laputa in Gulliver's Travels.Froderick Frankenstien from Fresnohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11653942918068535424noreply@blogger.com