# Professor/student affairs in literature **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 21, 2004, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130 "2004-07-21T03:39:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/1 "2004-07-21T03:39:48Z")
I’m looking for novels or short stories that depict a college professor having an affair with one of his or her students. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the central theme of the piece. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is David Mamet’s play _Oleanna_, but I’m really looking for novels or stories. ---
**Author:** ![Atticus\_Finch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Atticus\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atticus_Finch)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/2 "2004-07-21T04:41:00Z")
Jonathan Franzen’s _The Corrections_ is one example, and a pretty decent book, too. Helen Garner’s _The First Stone_ is a fantastic piece of reportage with the same general theme (alleged sexual assault at a University College). Edward Albee’s _Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf_ does deal with infidelity, and two of the four characters are academics. It’s not quite what you were asking for, though. All three are top reads. ---
**Author:** ![Sinek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Sinek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinek)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/3 "2004-07-21T05:01:16Z")
_A Winter Haunting_ by Dan Simmons features a student/prof. affair as a subplot. It’s generally classified under s.f. but it’s really more of a mystery novel. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/4 "2004-07-21T06:55:14Z")
_The Pelican Brief_ has one, IIRC, at least in the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/5 "2004-07-21T11:06:46Z")
Willy Russell’s _Educating Rita_ has a professor/student relationship as its central theme. But she’s a mature student, and its a play. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/6 "2004-07-21T11:13:43Z")
This is a big sub-category of an entire sub-genre, the academic novel. Some of my favorites are Phillip Roth (MY LIFE AS A MAN has some student/prof affairs in it, as does THE PROFESSOR OF DESIRE) and David Lodge (see SMALL WORLD and CHANGING PLACES.) ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/7 "2004-07-21T14:31:01Z")
As a matter of curiousity, do you just like that sort of thing, or are you investigating some trend or something? ---
**Author:** ![JackaRoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@JackaRoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackaRoe)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/8 "2004-07-21T14:39:24Z")
The World Accprding to Garp. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/9 "2004-07-21T16:08:58Z")
Of course, there’s a teacher-student affair in the classic study of personal and group interactions in a 1960’s academic setting _Animal House_ ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/10 "2004-07-21T16:38:32Z")
My favorite academic novel is Richard Russo’s _Straight Man_. I don’t recall if there’s a teacher/student affair in it, but you should read it anyway, since it’s one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. **Educating Rita** is about the relationship between the professor and the student, but I don’t think that I’d describe that relationship as an affair. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/11 "2004-07-21T16:40:45Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > **Educating Rita** is about the relationship between the professor and the student, but I don’t think that I’d describe that relationship as an affair. Actually, from what I recall, there is an affair of sorts implied, but never actually made explicit. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/12 "2004-07-21T17:01:06Z")
> [@Angua](#): > > Actually, from what I recall, there is an affair of sorts implied, but never actually made explicit. Well, as Bill Clinton might say, it kind of depends on what you mean by “affair.” I’ll admit I haven’t seen it in years – but IIRC, there’s an intense emotional connection between the two that’s not really about a physical relationship. It’s more about her growth through the extremely unlikely mentoring of his character. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/13 "2004-07-21T17:02:54Z")
I’ve never actually seen it, merely read the play, and acted the part of Rita, so I can’t really comment on how the film interprets it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/14 "2004-07-21T17:08:23Z")
If we’re extending this to movies, Bing Crosby’s _High Time_ has as a major theme the romance between Bing and his French professor. And it’s depicted as a perfectly normal and acceptable thing. Admittedly he’s a non-traditional student, so they’re about the same age, but then again he keeps emphasizing that he wants to be treated just like any other student (living in the dorms, going through freshman orientation, etc.). Incidentally, in real life, a romantic relationship between a student and anyone with influence over the student’s grades (professor, TA, registrar, etc.) will generally get both kicked out/fired. At least, that’s the rule here, and I imagine that most schools have a similar rule. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/15 "2004-07-21T17:15:45Z")
> [@Angua](#): > > I’ve never actually seen it, merely read the play, and acted the part of Rita, so I can’t really comment on how the film interprets it. Ah, then I will cede to your expertise. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/16 "2004-07-21T17:17:16Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Ah, then I will cede to your expertise. :eek: Please don’t mis-interpret me! I didn’t mean to come across sniffy, and its been a long long time since I did that. It could well be my misinterpretation. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/17 "2004-07-21T17:39:49Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If we’re extending this to movies, Bing Crosby’s _High Time_ has as a major theme the romance between Bing and his French professor. Also, _Back to School_. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/18 "2004-07-21T18:48:44Z")
It’s been a while since I read it, but I think there’s one in _Object of My Affection_ by Stephen McCauley, which is much different than the movie, although I enjoy both. Of course I could be confusing scenes from the book and movie. ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/19 "2004-07-21T19:42:24Z")
> [@chukhung](#): > > I’m looking for novels or short stories that depict a college professor having an affair with one of his or her students. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the central theme of the piece. > > The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is David Mamet’s play _Oleanna_, but I’m really looking for novels or stories. I ran the lights for a production of _Oleanna_ and I don’t really think there was an affair between the professor and the student. Of course I could be mistaken, but there is nothing that occurred onstage that could be classified as an affair and my impression was that her charges of sexual harrassment were all based exclusively (or almost exclusively) off the interactions we saw on stage. ---
**Author:** ![Gamaliel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gamaliel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamaliel)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130/20 "2004-07-21T19:57:50Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Incidentally, in real life, a romantic relationship between a student and anyone with influence over the student’s grades (professor, TA, registrar, etc.) will generally get both kicked out/fired. At least, that’s the rule here, and I imagine that most schools have a similar rule. Though the rules are no doubt strengthening, this simply isn’t the case everywhere, and there was a time when, at least at the graduate level, such relationships were common enough to be relatively unremarkable. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/professor-student-affairs-in-literature/256130.md?page=2)