Normal Science

Dick Practice, distinguished professor of linguistics, never gets the respect he feels he deserves—even within his own department. His colleagues are all impressively inept at actual communication, and his students are struggling with their own problems: Leo is a tortured virgin who's jealous of his boy-genius roommate, while Maggie has the smarts to excel but can't navigate her own emotional bewilderment. Can they advance our understanding of human language through arguments, hoaxes, arguments, swordplay, arguments, private spaceflight, arguments, religious experience, and more, ever pettier arguments? Can they at least learn to appreciate life's rich pageant? Normal Science applies itself in the general direction of these questions and is sure to equally gratify fans of Nathanael West, Lars Iyer, and the Sokal affair.   Sacha Arnold is a very occasional contributor to The Believer, Big Bell, and other publications.  He lives in Oakland.  Normal Science is his first novel.