Abstract
This chapter examines an affective readerly relationship with David Lodge’s campus novel, Nice Work (1988), that spans more than thirty years. Through an examination of the novel in its original 1980s context and a discussion of ongoing challenges to the Humanities, the essay considers its author’s engagement with the novel’s central protagonist and how that relationship has changed over time. The piece, which interlaces critical engagement with personal reflection, addresses Lodge’s representation of age, while also considering how identification with a literary character can be sustaining and even galvanizing.