Doesn't matter that we took him off that boat, Shepherd, it's the place he's going to live from now on.

Mal ,'Bushwhacked'


We're Literary 2: To Read Makes Our Speaking English Good  

There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."


Calli - Nov 30, 2004 6:07:22 am PST #6464 of 10002
I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul—Calvin and Hobbs

Flynn Carsen (Wyle) is kicked out of school by his professor because he believes Carsen, after earning 22 degrees, lacks life experience and thinks it would be a disservice to him to continue on

With 22 degrees, surely Carsen has more than one professor to plead his case to admissions.

And what's with the Spear of Destiny? Truth flies like an arrow, Destiny flies like a spear, fruit flies like a banana . . .


§ ita § - Nov 30, 2004 6:33:15 am PST #6465 of 10002
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

I've watched too much TNT from my sickbed, and that preview makes me larf and larf. The destiny of the world is in his hands. And the hands of the boring chick from Coupling.


Nutty - Nov 30, 2004 6:35:20 am PST #6466 of 10002
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."

after earning 22 degrees

You know what? At age 30, assuming continuous education since kindergarten, Carsen should be in the 24th grade. That is not nearly enough for 22 degrees, even if several of the degrees were joint/double master's programs or special certificates. This guy is clearly counting every time he graduates from a "How to Use Excel" course to pad his resume.

Also, his college loans have to be astronomical. He'll never manage to pay them back on a librarian's salary, even a law librarian's.


Betsy HP - Nov 30, 2004 6:37:56 am PST #6467 of 10002
If I only had a brain...

I'm guessing it's the old "Daddy left me a trust fund to put me through college, and nothing else" schtick. If you ever get enough credits to graduate, the money is cut off.


§ ita § - Nov 30, 2004 6:44:10 am PST #6468 of 10002
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.

I figure if you can get 22 degrees, you can get scholarships.


JohnSweden - Nov 30, 2004 7:18:37 am PST #6469 of 10002
I can't even.

Roger Zelazny wrote a book called Doorways in the Sand about a perpetual student. The protagonist had an old rich uncle who stipulated in his will that the hero's expenses would be paid for during his education. Part of the backstory of the novel involved the hero performing fairly complicated collegiate bureaucratic work to avoid qualifying for a degree, while still remaining in a program. Published in 1975, it is a light and fun read.

ETA: It has aliens masquerading as Australian wildlife. It is practically written for the Buffistas, 25 years early.


Betsy HP - Nov 30, 2004 7:21:42 am PST #6470 of 10002
If I only had a brain...

Aha! I knew I'd read that somewhere. Zelazny it is.


Connie Neil - Nov 30, 2004 7:32:38 am PST #6471 of 10002
brillig

Plus, he reverses himself! And he likes to climb things.


Frankenbuddha - Nov 30, 2004 7:35:39 am PST #6472 of 10002
"We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town...Beep! Beep!" - David Bowie, "Fashion"

Roger Zelazny wrote a book called Doorways in the Sand about a perpetual student. The protagonist had an old rich uncle who stipulated in his will that the hero's expenses would be paid for during his education. Part of the backstory of the novel involved the hero performing fairly complicated collegiate bureaucratic work to avoid qualifying for a degree, while still remaining in a program. Published in 1975, it is a light and fun read.

Love that book. Definitely light, but still one of my favorite Zelazny books.


Connie Neil - Nov 30, 2004 7:47:26 am PST #6473 of 10002
brillig

Each chapter is like a chapter from an old serial, opening with a cliff-hanger, then you have to backtrack to find out how he got in that predicament, then he gets out of it.