The Administrator in Fiction: Using the Novel to Teach Educational Administration

Abstract

This article demonstrates how the interpretation of literature can be a form of critical inquiry into administrative processes. Cynthia Ozick's The Cannibal Galaxy, a short novel about the principal of a private midwestern elementary school, is used to explore the interactions between a variety of literary theories and educational administration. Revealed in this discussion are the multiple interpretive meanings that students construct from their own experiential struggles in interaction with the text. The aesthetic form of the novel with its multiple valid interpretations is presentted as a powerful teaching tool for administrative preparation. The article also addresses the practical considerations of forging a synthesis of scholarly and practical issues in the new arena of administrative humanities.