Wolfe Enrolls

At fictional Dupont University, the setting for Tom Wolfe’s new book, a top-ranked basketball program complements an Ivy League academic reputation. As the ill-educated but clever coach puts it, the university upholds the classical ideal of mens sana in corpore sano, a phrase he identifies as Greek and translates roughly into English as, “If you want a great university, you damn well better have a great athletic program.”

In this rollicking novel set in the carnival atmosphere of today’s elite colleges, athletic culture is pervasive, as is the preoccupation with sex, alcohol, and perfect abs. Dupont is a place where the desires for physical pleasure, reputation, and future success smother the life of the mind; a world where student life is insuperably at cross-purposes with academic life. Which is to say: It’s a pretty accurate picture of student life at today’s elite colleges.

About the Author

Thomas S. Hibbs

Featured Tags

At fictional Dupont University, the setting for Tom Wolfe’s new book, a top-ranked basketball program complements an Ivy League academic reputation. As the ill-educated but clever coach puts it, the university upholds the classical ideal of mens sana in corpore sano, a phrase he identifies as Greek and translates roughly into English as, “If you want a great university, you damn well better have a great athletic program.”

In this rollicking novel set in the carnival atmosphere of today’s elite colleges, athletic culture is pervasive, as is the preoccupation with sex, alcohol, and perfect abs. Dupont is a place where the desires for physical pleasure, reputation, and future success smother the life of the mind; a world where student life is insuperably at cross-purposes with academic life. Which is to say: It’s a pretty accurate picture of student life at today’s elite colleges.