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— Written by Reece Barlow

Last week I stumbled upon an essay which has persistently occupied my thoughts. Titled "I Thought I Was Going to Study Literature at Columbia. I Was Wrong.", the central premise of the essay is that the study of literature at Columbia University, and in higher education more generally, is in crisis. The threat looming over the study of literature, we are told by the author Liza Libes, is woke ideology. Literary theory, particularly that informed by left leaning political ideas, has become more prominent in Literature departments than the study of great texts themselves. The tragedy of Literature in the modern university, according to her diagnosis, is that one is more likely to be assigned readings of Marxist criticism of a text, than be required to read the original text.

Before we continue, it must be said that Liza's political leanings - which of course, permeate her essay and other writing - appear to be the opposite to the political leanings of yours truly - which of course, permeates my own writing. In our polarized world, such differences would be grounds for complete and total opposition to the ideas expressed in the essay and also to Liza herself. And yet, despite our differences I was surprised to acknowledge that we both have something in common. We are dissatisfied with the shape the thing we love has taken in academia - in my case scholarship in general, in Liza's case literature. And more than simply being dissatisfied, we had both chosen to publicly, loudly, advocate for a different version of our respective loves.