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Cambridge PhD Candidate Journeys to the Underworld to Secure Her Degree in R.F. Kuang's "Katabasis
In R.F. Kuang's fantasy novel "Katabasis", Cambridge PhD candidate Alice Law, after her advisor's death, literally descends into the Underworld to secure her degree, accompanied by her colleague Peter Murdoch, encountering various challenges reflecting the realities of academia.
- What is the central conflict driving Alice's journey into the Underworld?
- Alice's deceased advisor, a necessary figure for her PhD completion, prevents her from graduating and obtaining a job. To overcome this, she uses her magical abilities and knowledge from previous "Underworld" travelers' accounts to retrieve his endorsement from the afterlife.
- How does Kuang utilize the Underworld setting to critique the academic system?
- Kuang employs the Underworld as an allegory for the struggles of PhD candidates. The eight courts represent academic hurdles, with the initial court mirroring a university library and later courts symbolizing the harsh realities of academia like cruelty and wrath. The cost of the journey, half one's remaining lifespan, reflects the immense sacrifices required for a PhD.
- What are the potential broader implications of Kuang's novel beyond its immediate narrative?
- Katabasis" transcends a simple fantasy novel by offering a potent critique of academic systems, highlighting the exploitation of young researchers, precarious employment prospects, and the overall pressures of pursuing higher education. The novel's use of mythology and magical realism serves as a powerful metaphor for the systemic issues faced by academics.
Cognitive Concepts
Framing Bias
The review frames the novel as a satire of academia, highlighting the parallels between the Underworld and the PhD process. The framing emphasizes the humorous aspects initially, but later notes a shift away from this focus. This framing could potentially lead readers to expect a consistently sustained satirical tone throughout.
Language Bias
The review uses positive language to describe the author's writing style and insight ('gevat', 'indrukwekkend', 'humor'), but also employs more negative terms when discussing the novel's pacing and structure ('verschraalt', 'verliest aan momentum', 'verdampt'). While largely neutral, the choice of words subtly influences the reader's perception.
Bias by Omission
The review focuses heavily on the academic satire aspect of the novel and its portrayal of the PhD experience, potentially omitting discussion of other potential themes or interpretations that might be relevant to the wider audience. The fantastical elements of the Underworld journey, beyond its metaphorical function, are not thoroughly explored.
False Dichotomy
The review presents a somewhat simplistic dichotomy between the initial humorous satirical elements and the later, less successful parts of the novel. This oversimplifies the complex interplay between satire, adventure, and academic allegory.
Sustainable Development Goals
The novel criticizes the exploitative aspects of academia, focusing on the struggles of PhD candidates like the protagonist Alice. The long hours, poor job prospects, and pressure-cooker environment are highlighted, directly impacting the quality of education and the well-being of researchers. The "Underworld" metaphor represents the challenges faced by students within the academic system. The quote "The Underworld in traveling, and even returning from it, comes at a price: half of your remaining years of life. Alice and Peter pay that all too gladly, because without a PhD they have no life to return to" illustrates the extreme measures students take and the negative impact of the system on their lives.