{"product_id":"the-groves-of-academe-by-mary-mccarthy-1","title":"'The Groves of Academe' by Mary McCarthy","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"\" data-turn-id-container=\"request-6a41ee64-ba8c-83ec-af6f-c73473cd84da-7\" data-is-intersecting=\"true\"\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none [\u0026amp;:has([data-writing-block])\u0026gt;*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" data-turn-id=\"request-6a41ee64-ba8c-83ec-af6f-c73473cd84da-7\" data-turn-id-container=\"request-6a41ee64-ba8c-83ec-af6f-c73473cd84da-7\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-248\" data-turn=\"assistant\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-xs,calc(var(--spacing)*4))] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-sm,calc(var(--spacing)*6))] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-lg,calc(var(--spacing)*16))] px-(--thread-content-margin)\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-conversation-screenshot-content=\"\" class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"964c0ad3-1009-4671-a954-9614273992d3\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5-5\" class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal outline-none keyboard-focused:focus-ring [.text-message+\u0026amp;]:mt-1\" data-turn-start-message=\"true\" tabindex=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert wrap-break-word w-full light markdown-new-styling\"\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-start=\"60\" data-end=\"667\"\u003eMary McCarthy's sharp, satirical campus novel is a fantastic little read exposing the vanity, factionalism and quiet absurdities that flourish beneath the rhetoric of higher education.\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"60\" data-end=\"667\"\u003eSet at the fictional Jocelyn College, the story begins when an unpopular literature lecturer learns he is to be dismissed and responds by constructing an elaborate fiction about his personal circumstances. This little deception gradually entangles colleagues, administrators and students, revealing a university sustained less by truth than by ambition, ideology and self-interest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"669\" data-end=\"1177\"\u003ePublished in 1952, \u003cem data-start=\"688\" data-end=\"711\"\u003eThe Groves of Academe\u003c\/em\u003e anticipated many of the anxieties that still shape universities today: institutional politics, ideological camps, professional precarity and the uneasy relationship between intellectual life and bureaucracy. McCarthy's prose is elegant, mercilessly observant and intellectually playful, making this as much a novel of ideas as of character. A classic for readers of David Lodge, Randall Jarrell, Richard Russo or anyone fascinated by the social theatre of academia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1204\" data-end=\"1410\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePanther paperback edition, published 1964. Early UK paperback printing. Good vintage condition with expected edge wear, light creasing and age toning. Binding remains sound and the text is clean throughout.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"bower studio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45804153208915,"sku":null,"price":15.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0689\/0268\/2707\/files\/Yourparagraphtext-2026-07-10T141354.362.png?v=1783656850","url":"https:\/\/bowerbooks.com\/products\/the-groves-of-academe-by-mary-mccarthy-1","provider":"bower books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}