The Academic Novel and the Tradition of Social Satire: A Poetic and Structural Analysis of David Lodge’s Rummidge Trilogy

This study explores the genre dynamics of the academic (campus) novel in contemporary British literature, focusing on its function as an institutional and social microcosm. By examining the theoretical frameworks of Elaine Showalter, Kenneth Womack, and Stefan Horlacher, this paper investigates how academic satire employs comic mechanisms to critique university structures, gender stereotypes, and socioeconomic realities. Specifically, the analysis focuses on David Lodge’s "Rummidge Trilogy"- Changing Places (1975), Small World (1984), and Nice Work (1988) to demonstrate how the dual function of comedy operates across surface and deep textual structures.