Published in 1961 May Sarton's The Small Room is an engaging novel set in the hallowed halls of academe, which explores a number of philosophical questions when a brilliant student is caught plagiarizing. As someone who has only ever been a student, and one whose experience was quite different than that described in the book, I found this an interesting story as it sheds light on what the professor's experience might be as well as gives a glimpse into a particular time and place in history.
Lucy Winter has accepted a teaching position in a small all-women's college in New England. Teaching was not her ambition, but graduate work was a way of spending time with her fiancé while he was studying to become a doctor. She liked the work well enough but had no expectation of actually doing it professionally. It's with a sense of irony, then, that she finds herself on a train heading north from New York to Appleton College, "about to become incarcerated, perhaps even for life", after her engagement has been broken. Lucy's expectation is that Appleton will be an entirely different atmosphere than the "laissez-faire sophistication of Harvard". And she's soon proved to be right.
Appleton College may not be one of the heavy-weights when it comes to names, but they aren't either interested in producing marriageable young ladies. They're interested in fostering academic excellence, turning out scholars. During one of the many gatherings of the faculty, the question of "what happens to them afterwards" is raised.
"We have presumed that by setting an uncompromising standard we might develop women who could take the lead, who would become responsible in the deepest sense. Shoddy work, students who manage to 'get by,' are not going to grow into mature people, capable of handling power. We prize excellence."
Early on Lucy asks whether "this is a society in which brilliance in women is considered desirable?" and given that the novel was published in 1961 it would have been a pertinent question. As a new teacher Lucy is concerned primarily with the mechanics of teaching her subject, trying to get the students excited about what they're reading and able to talk and write about it intelligently. During preparations for one of her lectures she discovers that a student essay that is going to be published in the school literary magazine has been plagiarized. As a new professor Lucy had hoped to not make waves and simply do her job to the best of her abilities, but she is now confronted with the question of what to do about the student.
When Lucy discusses the problem with a colleague there is no turning back as they both know that the school's procedures must be followed at this point. It's likely that the student will be not only expelled but will be unable to continue on at another school. Jane Seaman isn't any ordinary student, she's intellectually astute and is just the sort of scholar that the faculty pride themselves in turning out. So now the school is faced with the question of what to do about Jane? Can her transgression be covered up so to save the scholar or should she be expelled as fits the crime she committed.
This one action throws the school into turmoil and causes the students and faculty to ask difficult questions about their roles and responsibilities. For Lucy, she believes the line separating the personal from the intellectual is clearly marked. She's unwilling to become involved in the problems of another young student but finds she is unable to disentangle herself from Jane's. There's also the question of what's expected from the students. Is the bar being set so high as to be unable to surmount it without causing psychological damage.
"For she had come to see that it was possible, if one worked hard enough at it, to be prepared as far as subject matter went--though Lucy herself could not imagine such a blessed state--but it was not possible to be prepared to meet the twenty or more individuals of each class, each struggling to grow, each bringing into the room a different background, each--Lucy felt now--in a state of peril where a too-rigorous demand or an instantaneous flash of anger might fatally turn the inner direction. Was she, for instance, shutting out Pippa's pleas for personal attention and response out of selfishness, fatigue, an unwillingness to give away anything of her inmost heart to a student? How did one know? How did one learn a sense of proportion, where to withdraw, where to yield?"
Several of the younger faculty had been advocating for a psychiatrist to come on staff to deal with just these sorts of issues, but the older members are dead set against it. So another dimension is added to the discussion--three different generations of faculty and administration, each with their own perspective of what is right and necessary, and none are able to reach a consensus. The reasons behind Jane's plagiarism bring into sharp relief just how fragile a student might be when pushed too hard, and while the rules may be clearly delineated on how to handle a situation, in the end it is a young student who will pay the price.
I really enjoyed The Small Room, each different perspective added a new layer of meaning to the questions Sarton raised. I particularly enjoyed the philosophical discussions and the interactions between the characters--their responses to the problems and issues and to each other. So often books are told from the student's perspective, it is interesting to hear about the problems faculty must grapple with as well. If you've read the book and would like to take part in the Slaves of Golconda's discussion, please join us here. You can also read more posts about the novel here.