Sense and Nonsensibility: Lampoons of Learning and Literature

by Lawrence Douglas

Two widely published humor columnists and "bad boys" of academia take their wit and wisdom to dazzling new lows in this irreverent send-up of highbrow literary culture.

At last, the thinking person's take on the life of the mind in today's increasingly mindless age. Sense and Nonsensibility pokes fun at everyone from spoof-proof scholars to pompous professors; from anal-retentive authors to plagiarizing poets; from snake-oil therapists to bestselling illiterati.

This singular collection by Professors Lawrence Douglas and Alexander George brings together their most popular pieces, along with many brand-new ones, including:

• The Academy Awards for novels -- with categories for "Best Female Protagonist -- Doomed," "Best Narrator -- Unreliable," and "Best Novel -- Unfinishable by Reader"

• Home Shopping University -- offering the greatest ideas in Western history at rock-bottom prices

• I'm Okay, I'm Okay: Accepting Narcissism -- the best in "Self-helplessness books"

• The Penis Orations -- Iron Man's answer to The Vagina Monologues

• "Ask the Academic Ethicist" -- their notorious advice column, which has shocked higher education

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 3, 2004

Reviews

[Christina]

A book only an English professor could love. I’m going through all the books about books I’ve accumulated over the years to make space on my shelves.

This is A collection of literary and academia humor essays, but the jokes will go over most people’s heads. Only the first of three parts focuses on literature, the rest seems written to amuse college and university professors. The two authors are both tenured Amherst professors, and it felt as though they were writing these essays for each other and their colleagues.

There were a few cute essays in here, such as a color commentaror reporting a poetry contest as if it were Olympic event, and an interview with an author who had a happy childhood in a stable upper middle class home. (Almost every classic literary author had a rough childhood, and negligent fathers are particularly common.) But I found myself skimming through most of this.

Verdict: trade in

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reader must be relatively familiar with classic literature to understand the humor in the book, but it is incredibly clever and witty. I laughed so hard I could barely breath through most of it. The authors manage to walk the very fine line of lampooning the classic without once offending book worshipers.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are absolutely hilarious parodies of pop culture and academia! The Iron Prof; Kant's Critique of Pure Reason made into a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Salma Hayek, directed by Ron Howard; the advice columns -- you will howl with laughter!

[Geraldine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know if I'm just dense or what coz I didn't get the joke (honestly). At the first few pages, I found it entertaining, but as I progressed, I found it dull and boring.