Indictment of Academic Mores in Jane Smiley's Moo

Abstract

Jane Smiley's novel Moo presents and thereby attacks the vices and follies of contemporary American academia viatypically portrayed Moo University. Such vices and follies are subject to satire. Smiley use shumor, burlesque and omniscient narrator for this purpose. She use smechanical repetition, exaggeration, imitation, eccentricity, oddness and surprise as instances of humor. The other instances of satire through burlesque are depiction of hog in lofty manner covering many chapters despite its petty subject-matter, parodying Shakespearean comedy humorously, sexually suggestive dialogue and action, strip-tease and dance scenes among and between the characters. Likewise, omniscient narrator,embodying humorous and burlesque features, exploring the characters' internal thoughts, feelings and activities, sometimes comments upon their actions for which the characters themselves are ignorant.