First published 1993
Bruce Feiler ventures into the hallowed halls of Oxford and Cambridge as a graduate student in 1990. The American writer discovers a world of garden parties and formal balls, intense dormitory debates and marathon drinking contests, rigid tutorials and grueling weeklong examinations. Feiler navigates English-style debates against razor-sharp opponents, participates in Cambridge's most exclusive rowing traditions, and receives romantic guidance from a Rhodes Scholar. He exposes the reality behind Britain's most prestigious universities, institutions that have educated John Milton, Lord Byron, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Bill Clinton across eight centuries. Through wit and irreverence, Feiler demystifies the Anglo academic establishment that American elites increasingly emulate. His comic investigation reveals both the absurdities and enduring appeal of Oxbridge culture.
Genres: biography, american, comedy, academia
Vibes: irreverent, thought-provoking, witty
Tropes: fish-out-of-water
Setting: Oxford, Cambridge, Britain
Period: 1990
330 pages · Hardcover · Random House