--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was always embarrassing when…" description: "\"“It was always embarrassing when professors assigned their own books. Even Madeleine, who found all the reading hard going, could tell that Zipperstein..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ad/jeffrey-eugenides-462_books_it-was-always-embarrassing-when-professo_407600.png" --- # It was always embarrassing when professors assigned their… ![“It was always embarrassing when professors assigned their own books. Even Madeleine, who found all the reading hard going, could tell that Zipperstein’s contribution to the field was reformulative and second-tier.” quote by Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ad/jeffrey-eugenides-462_books_it-was-always-embarrassing-when-professo_407600.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ad/jeffrey-eugenides-462_books_it-was-always-embarrassing-when-professo_407600.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ad/jeffrey-eugenides-462_books_it-was-always-embarrassing-when-professo_407600.png) > ““It was always embarrassing when professors assigned their own books. Even Madeleine, who found all the reading hard going, could tell that Zipperstein’s contribution to the field was reformulative and second-tier.”” [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator feels awkward when professors promote their own work, noting that Zipperstein’s ideas are merely reformulations and not groundbreaking. **In simple terms:** Feeling embarrassed about self‑promotion and mediocre contributions. Key Takeaway Recognize and critique self‑serving academic practices. Themes academic humility self‑promotion intellectual honesty literary critique Mood irry critical reflective Type literary academic observational When to use this quote - university classes - book selections - faculty meetings - literary analysis Key Concepts reformulation second‑tier contribution author bias Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑promotion affect scholarly credibility? - When is it acceptable to cite one's own work? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize and not reflect all scholarly work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assigned Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assigned-books-908173/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Embarrassing Professors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embarrassing-professors-3640509/) [Professors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professors/) [Professors Assigned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professors-assigned-3640510/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Tell Zipperstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-zipperstein-3640511/) [Textbooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/textbooks/) [Zipperstein Contribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zipperstein-contribution-3640508/) ## Related quotes > [In the past few years I've assigned books to be read before a student attends one of my weeklong seminars. 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