The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune keep hitting beleaguered English professor Jason Fitger right between the eyes in this hilarious and eagerly awaited sequel to the cult classic of anhedonic academe, the Thurber Prize-winning Dear Committee Members . Once more into the breach ... Now is the fall of his discontent, as Jason Fitger, newly appointed chair of the English Department of Payne University, takes arms against a sea of troubles, personal and institutional. His ex-wife is sleeping with the dean who must approve whatever modest initiatives he undertakes. The fearsome department secretary Fran clearly runs the show (when not taking in rescue parrots and dogs) and holds plenty of secrets she's not sharing. The lavishly funded Econ Department keeps siphoning off English's meager resources and has taken aim at its remaining office space. And Fitger's attempt to get a mossbacked and antediluvian Shakespeare scholar to retire backfires spectacularly when the press concludes that the Bard is being kicked to the curricular curb. Lord, what fools these mortals be! Julie Schumacher proves the point and makes the most of it in this delicious romp of satire.
This is a follow up to Dear Committee Members, which I loved. Fitger has been elevated to department chair and is struggling to bring the English department together in order to survive the incursion of the Economics Department.
Dear Committee Members was very nearly sublime in its satire and sneaky humanity; this one ... not so much. The Shakespeare Requirement is a standard narrative (as opposed to the epistolary form of DCM), and while still funny and heavily satirical, it just falls flat. It also lacks any clear plot, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say there's no clear story arc. I suppose there's a climax, but it's not really much of one, and there's very little to no emotional punch.
All of this sounds like I'm tearing a strip off the book and that's not my intention; I enjoyed it for the humor and the connection to the characters - I never found myself bored or wanting to put it down. It just didn't have the same grip as its predecessor and if asked, I'd definitely recommend Dear Committee Members but would likely suggest skipping this one, or at least preparing for it to be a different read altogether.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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14 June, 2019:
Finished reading
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14 June, 2019:
Reviewed