PENGUIN Lucky Jim

Lecturer Jim Dixon’s future in the History Department looks set to blossom, so long as he can forestall the amorous advances of Margaret, while trying to stay on the right side of Professor Welch and his annoying family. But getting lumbered with delivering a lecture on Merrie England isn’t Jim’s only problem…This edition of the classic comedy caper has an introduction by David Lodge, which I’m sorry to admit I couldn’t be bothered to read. The book itself is enjoyable enough, though the idea of it being ‘hilariously funny’ as some folk would have it, just isn’t true. Amis writes in a way that must have been refreshing and quite delightful at the time (1954), and though his hero is likeable, the dialogue is peppered with clunky phrases that went out of fashion (if they were ever in), many years ago.The character of Jim is said to be inspired by the poet Philip Larkin, though in my opinion, Larkin had a gift for humour that is light years away from Amis’s creation. While the author’s comments on culture and, in particular, the pretentious nature of people like the Welch family, is mildly amusing, I’d have to say that the novel doesn’t hold up too well against contemporaries like Graham Greene.All in all, a bit disappointing.

The principal aspect of Kıngaley Amis's famous novel to note is that it had little relationship to the famous Boulting Brothers film of 1957. The film starred Ian Carmichael playing Jim in Ian Carmichael style as something of a bumbler with a penchant for alcohol. He was at his best in the climactic lecture scene on Merrie England, where he reduced the meeting to absolute chaos in minutes with an incoherent spiel. After that performance, it was inevitable that he would be faced with the sack,The book concentrates far more on Jim Dixon's complicated love-life involving three women - Margaret, Carol, and Christine. The three women are very different, but all love him to a greater or lesser extent. It is Jim's tragedy (or good fortune, perhaps) to love all three, but not to make any decision as to which one he prefers, much to the ladies' chagrin. He nearly gets to the marital state with one of them, but she withdraws at the last minute.LUCKY JIM is in many ways a historical document, describing a world of tertiary education that has disappeared forever, where staff didn't have to publish much and the concept of getting money for the university in the form of grants was unheard. Faculty members just had to bowl up, give their classes, and were generally left alone. Dixon's boss, Professor Welsh, has published a little, but not for many years. On the other hand the university environment has not changed as much as we might think: Dixon's department is riven with petty struggles between academic competing with one another for promotion as well as professiorial favor. Jim Dixon has to remain polite to Welsh, even though he cannot stand the senior man. For non-university people, the world should like s hotbed of personal struggles: anyone who has been through this life will recognize it instantly.Kingsley Amis, for one who cultivated such an acerbic public personality during his lifetime, writes sympathetically. He understands Jim's struggles - most likely the book is more autobiographical than the author would have admitted - and how he is looking for something constructive, both professional and personal. He has to learn how to branch out away from university life to find it, however.The book itself remains a rattling good read, a record of a world gone by as well as of a world unfortunately dominant in contemporary academe.

I'd never read any Kingsley Amis before reading this, his most famous novel. I found the themes and the characters interesting and I found myself chuckling quite a lot at the absurdity of some of the characters' behaviours. I enjoyed the window into 1950's England, with it's strange social conventions and even stranger personalities! Jim is billed as an anti-hero, but I confess that I quite liked him, mainly due to the fact that he was often thinking exactly what I am thinking in forced, dull social situations. He finds most other people rather dull and uninteresting and I can relate to that! My advice would be to read this very funny book but to have a dictionary to hand as Amis uses quite a lot of archaic langauge that may not be familiar to a modern audience.

In Lucky Jim Amis provides us with a look into the final half of a year at one of the many new Universities that have emerged since the end of WWII. Jim Dixon is a history professor who is being forced to swim frantically in the last few months of term to keep his head up and save his position on the teaching staff, whilst also trying to attract the interest of some whilst evading others.The novel is fast moving and the characters develop well keeping you interested. It is also very possible to see the influences, such as teaching at Swansea University, utilized by Amis in the writing.Overall this truly is a British Classic and excellent piece of literature that i would recommend to anyone, especially those who have an affinity for 'the movements' dark humor and ability to laugh when all else has failed.If you enjoy this Girl 20 and The Old Devils are both good further works by Amis, and anything of P Larkin's poetry will probably also put a confused smile onto your face!

It was difficult to get into the story until I was half way. I considered a few times to leave it, however, I pushed myself till the end and I didn't regret it. The last part was the best and left a big smile on my face. It's not an easy reading as the book was written somewhere in 1950, therefore, another way of language writing. But those who like deep conversations with the right words at the right moment will enjoy this book. Highly recommended!