or what did i intend charlotte simmons, the character, to represent? i used her, first of all, as a -- it was really i took this from sister carrie which begins with carrie meeblor, the most meek name he could, going to chicago, chicago the great met top list. this is the first american novel of a great metropolis. and that was my original idea using a girl from sparta, north carolina, which exists, 900 folks, only town in allegheny county up in the blue ridge. a girl raised by a very strict mother, evangelical christian, you've probably heard of evangelical christians and she's very strict and domineering. her father is a laid off factory worker, last in the tom mccann shoe factory, machine. although there's a fast set in sparta, north carolina, at the high school, there is and being fast in sparta in additional things, includes chewing tobacco. also a lot of west virginia, a lot of chewing tobacco. anyway, but she's not a part of any of that. so she in her mind is going to want to live-- she wants to live a life of the mind at this great university w

who or what did i intend charlotte simmons, the character to represent? i used her first of all, i really took this from sister kerri which begins with carrying me blair. he gave her the most meek name he could dream up, going to chicago. in chicago is a great metropolis for this is the first novel, the first novel of a great metropolis. you see through her eyes and she knows nothing. that is my original i do idea and using a girl from sparta north carolina. which she has 900 folks. it's up in the blue ridge. a girl who has been raised by very strict mother. an evangelical christian you probably heard of evangelical christians. and she is very strict and very domineering. her father has been laid off or unemployed factory worker. [inaudible] it's in the shoe factory. and so, although there is a fast set there is. being fast and sparta in addition to things including chewing tobacco. also a lot of west virginia chewing tobacco. anyway. she is not a part of any of that. she in her mind, she wants to have life of mind at this great university which i called

his new book is titled i am charlotte simmons. it features wolf first female protagonist. she is a scholarship girl from a tiny north carolina mountain town will tom wolf joins me in studio to talk about her and adventures on campus and perhaps give us a sense of his own adventures and he wrote this book. when you made the decision to go in to various college campuses, where you specifically focusing in your own mind on sexuality? or was it simply i want to find out what life is like on college campuses today? >> it is a bit of both. there were certain things i heard about colleges that even more because nothing was written about it. one was report there was a lot more effects on campuses and norms. i said to myself, why hasn't anybody written about this? it was odd because it's very titillating. there were a lot of reports about what was now called binge drinking. that didn't really prove to be strong on campuses, it exists but then the story about political correctness. that intrigued me and also the fact that colleges now, the places where the changes and ethics are cre

she's had a just completed reading i am charlotte simmons. i was particularly intrigued with your contrast of what charlotte was in learning in her quarters and the basis for animalistic behavior versus those behaviors demonstrated by the higher order in an institution of higher learning, and the behaviors were at the same. my question, how did you educate yourself in those areas, and is this contrast of academic pop-culture your typical approach to writing? >> guest: iwriting? >> guest: it is the ultimate darwinism. neuroscience says we are now finding a mechanical up in your brain that gives you the sense of smell and taste and feelings of danger and it's all the end result is it is creating the impression that we are machines and not your belief that you have a self that's your own and there is an ie insight if you, much less as a sole, they always put quotations, is disappearing as the result of narrow science. and i thought it was the perfect way to analyze into the clean as i could see what was happening and if she comes into contact wi

>> great. >> i'm referring to charlotte simmons and i'm wondering after you transgendered into charlotte simmons, if you think there's any hope for young college women, i'm a college teacher and i'm wonder if you think there's any hope for the college women these days? >> in general terms of -- when i wrote the i am charlotte simmons, i learned -- i went to many different colleges, and it was not meant to be duke. [laughter] >> but my daughter was at duke and i named it dupont, so close to duke but honestly it was supposed to be entirely fictional. anyway, the saying among undergraduates at that time -- except at duke -- was if she doesn't come across on the fourth date, that's it. to it's a little different. if she doesn't come across by the second date, and i was talking to one student, i was bringing this up recently and he said, what is this about dates? [laughter] >> and maybe that's it. but now this was a theory that i think is worth paying attention to. i think it was oscar corral's theory. tell me if i'm right or -- the -- the -- union of using cell phones to take pictures just a

i am referring to charlotte simmons and i'm wondering after she'd transgendered into charlotte simmons if you think that there's any hope for young college women. i'm a college teacher and i'm wondering if you think there's any hope for the college women these days. >> you mean in general terms? when i wrote it i meant to -- went to many different colleges and was not meant to be. but my daughter was at duke. honestly it was supposed to be entirely fictional. the saying among undergraduates at that time was if she doesn't come across on the fourth day that's it. today it's a little different. if it doesn't come across by the second date and i was talking to one student and he says what's this about aids wexler apco maybe that's it. this is a the theory that i think is worth paying attention to. tell me if i'm right. the ubiquity, the use of freeware of cell phones which also take richards -- take pictures such as ipads take pictures has cut down some of the wildness at colleges. everybody loves to take up the camera and if you are doing something absolutely insane somehow it gets into

charlotte simmons was born and raised in what grand ther virgid give me virginia and at yale university and the start of his journalistic career at the university newspaper. university newspaper. i dislike american correspondent for the "washington post" he earned the prize for his coverage of the cuban revoluti revolution. his 1962, he moved to the tribune where he interviewed the staff writers signed and a leader in the new york magazine. newspapers tracked with 1962 to 63 afforded him to travel to california to write an article for esquire. stumped for an angle for the article he sent a note for his article to publish them verbatim and it described as a long spontaneous letter suspending the traditional journalistic whole scene as a voice on quote and post was born the new journalism. the rest as they say is history come of this and others were collected in the books. the candy covered land terrain making him the most talked about journalist in america and the newspaper correspondent. two new books published on the same day in 1968 and the electric kool-aid absent test as the observe

simmons. it is my pleasure to introduce tom wolfe who is going to talk about "what's sourthern today?". tom wolfe. [applause] >> thank you, ladies and gentlemen. it is great to be back at duke. my topic is david mentioned is what's new in the south, great material in the south. first of all, i am not advertising spring. i will put that down. although i like it. first of all, i have not seen the new sounds of the south recorded anywhere or described in print. for example many of you had the same experience i have, you check into a hotel in mississippi, early in the morning you are awakened by a whack whack whack whack whack, this is the kitchen help breaking open tubes of frozen biscuits for the kids. i kind of like that. the other is the end of june, the end of may or summer you go to the airport and rent a car and turn on the ignition and you are blown back about four feet because whoever left the air conditioner on high, that is another sound of the south. another one i particularly like, so

his novel i am charlotte simmons about higher education paid cspan2 accompanied him and was a guest on the radio show. >> [background noises] [background noises] [inaudible] [background noises]

he spent an semester at stanford university to complete research on his novel, i am charlotte simmons. it's my pleasure to introduce tom wolf to talk about this today. [applause] >> thank you very much. it is great to be back at duke. my topic, as david mentioned, this is what in the south or great writing material in the south. first of all,. [inaudible] [laughter] first of all, i have not seen the new south recorded or described in print. for example, you have the same experience i had but it's the way it's done in mississippi. you get awakened by the sound what -- there desperate for the grips. [laughter] i didn't like that particular sound. then the end of june, the end of may through the summer, go to the airport and rent a car and turn on the ignition and wash, your loan back about 4 feet because whoever dropped the car off, left the air conditioning on high. it's another sound. another i particularly liked is to go to a beautiful place like thomas jefferson's at the university of virginia, which is so steep in the memories of this nation, it means so much to the educational cou

discussing his book "i am charlotte simmons," and he was then a guest on a radio show.