Terrae-Filius: The Secret History of the University of Oxford

Amhurst (1697-1742), an Oxford student between 1716 and 1719, lampooned life at the school with a sharpness that led the authorities to ban his work and many 19th-century historians to dismiss him as a slanderer of his university. Nevertheless, Amhurst's satirical critique stands as the most important and reliable contemporarily published account of that time and place, touching on academic and intellectual issues as well as the political, religious, moral, and social goings-on that often worked to undercut the university's academic goals. Editor Rivers (English, U. of South Carolina) introduces and provides contextual notes for all 53 of Amhurst's Terrae- Filius essays, including three omitted from the 1726 collected editions. Distributed by Associated University Presses. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR