The British Museum is Falling Down

The British Museum is Falling Down by David Lodge is a comic novel set in 1960s London that follows Adam Appleby, a young Catholic graduate student struggling to complete his Ph.D. thesis while managing the chaos of family life with three children. The story unfolds over a single day, highlighting Adam’s conflicts with his religious faith, especially around contraception, and his academic pressures. Through humorous and satirical episodes, the novel explores themes of religion, morality, sexuality, and the challenges of balancing personal ambition with family responsibilities, all with wit and literary pastiche. The novel also contains stylistic nods to James Joyce’s Ulysses and features a chaotic journey through London and the British Museum.