SHERMAN, TEXAS—Dystopian fiction, the near-destruction of the natural world, and humanity’s efforts to survive are themes of the 2012 Freshman Common Read for Austin College students as they explore The Year of the Flood, by Margaret Atwood.
The Freshman Common Read serves as a means to welcome new students to the intellectual life of Austin College while encouraging interdisciplinary conversations. Through Austin College’s unique Communication/Inquiry (C/I) mentoring program, incoming freshmen were mailed the book to be read over the summer for discussion during the fall semester. The students have had the opportunity to communicate about the book with other students and faculty through the Facebook group 'Austin College Class of 2016 Common Read.'
All freshmen will attend a faculty panel on Wednesday, September 12, at 10 a.m. in Ida Green Theatre of Ida Green Communication Center. The discussion will encourage students to think about the various interdisciplinary aspects of the novel. The session is open to the public at no charge.
Canadian author Margaret Atwood has written more than 40 books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays.
Her 2003 novel, Oryx and Crake, received international acclaim, including selection as a Booker Prize finalist and listing as a New York Times Notable Book. Of The Year of the Flood, released in 2009, Atwood offers an online summary:
'Adam One, the kindly leader of the God’s Gardeners—a religion devoted to the melding of science, religion, and nature—has long predicted a disaster. Now it has occurred, obliterating most human life. Two women remain: Ren, a young dancer locked away in a high-end sex club, and Toby, a former God’s Gardener, who barricades herself inside a luxurious spa. Have others survived? Ren’s bio-artist friend Amanda? Zeb, her eco-fighter stepfather? Her one-time lover, Jimmy? Or the murderous Painballers? Not to mention the CorpSeCorps, the shadowy policing force of the ruling powers. … As Adam One and his beleaguered followers regroup, Ren and Toby emerge into an altered world, where nothing—including the animal life—is predictable.'
Carol Daeley, Austin College professor of English, said that the current interest in dystopic and apocalyptic film and fiction makes this novel particularly relevant to this year’s freshmen, appealing to a wide range of students with a variety of academic and personal interests. 'The Year of the Flood incorporates narrative elements that relate to many present day social and political issues, including sustainability and environmental degradation, the role of religion in society, gender and sexuality, and immigration policy,” she said. “Because it deals with such complex and multifaceted topics, faculty from across campus have found ways to incorporate the novel into their C/I classes.'
Daeley said that students will be able to relate to the young adult protagonists, Ren and Toby, two young women who grow up in an era of genetically engineered food, climate change, and religious fervor. A third character is an independent-minded young woman from Texas, Amanda Payne, who makes art out of animal carcasses.
'For some readers this is a tough novel to get into, because there are three narrative strands,' Daeley said. 'It is part of a projected trilogy; Atwood first published Oryx and Crake and then The Year of the Flood, but the novels cover the same period of time. They focus on different sets of characters, some of whom appear in both novels, and these characters begin to get together at the end of The Year of the Flood. Although it can initially be hard to keep track of the characters and what happens to them around ‘the year of the flood,’ all are important to the multiple perspectives and stories in the novel. Different students will connect with different characters.'
Danny Nuckols, director of the Communication/Inquiry program, said The Year of the Flood was selected because of its interdisciplinary themes. Additionally, the College faculty decided that, having had several non-fiction selections in past years, a fiction selection was an interesting choice. Additionally, some faculty members have already used The Year of the Flood or Oryx and Crake in classes and student response and discussion had been positive.
Faculty members in the C/I program integrates the Common Read selection into their courses at their own discretion.
The C/I program is the foundation course of Austin College’s undergraduate curriculum and connects each student to a faculty mentor. This mentor serves as a teacher for the C/I course and as an academic coach for the students’ full four-year educational experience. C/I helps students develop communication skills and intellectual inquiry, and promotes student-faculty collaboration with research and writing opportunities to position students for success well beyond college.
Last year’s Freshman Common Read book was The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by David Lacks, which explored issues of ethics, faith, and humanity in the story of the HeLa strain of human cells. Previous Austin College freshman read selections have included Persepolis, The Reluctant Mr. Darwin, Reading Lolita in Tehran, and Mountain Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer.
Austin College is a leading national independent liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas. Founded in 1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original charter and name, the college is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized nationally for academic excellence in the areas of international education, pre-professional training, and leadership studies, Austin College is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives.