Description
Book SynopsisHas anyone ever worked harder and longer at being immature than novelist Philip Roth? This book examines Roth's 'mature immaturity' in its depth and richness. It lets readers to reconsider the narrow categories into which Roth has often been slotted - laureate of Newark, New Jersey; junior partner in the firm Salinger, Bellow, Mailer, and Malamud.
Trade Review"The present title offers a sophisticated, original vision and is a fine addition to the excellent body of critical material available on this significant prolific novelist... Highly recommended."--Choice "Crisply written, well argued and persuasive. Reading it, one looks forward to reading Roth again, in Posnock's new light."--Chanan Tigay, Forward "Ross Posnock's study may be the most intellectually complex as well as fiercely independent study of Roth's career to date. Filled with deft observations, [Posnock] offers authoritative readings of literature and society which have profound implications that exceed considerations of Roth, its ostensible solitary subject."--Ranen Omer-Sherman, Modernism/modernity "A very learned and stimulating critique of Philip Roth's fiction... Ross Posnock has written one of the three best books on Philip Roth--if not the best... He treats Roth's work as it deserves to be regarded, especially since no one as yet has adequately traced its roots to the major traditions of American literature."--Jay L. Halio, Shofar "In this complex and stimulating book, Ross Posnock ... rethinks the career of American novelist Philip Roth... Posnock places Roth within a cosmopolitan community of authors ranging from Melville to Salinger who have rejected the separation of mind and body in favor of an aesthetic that rejects the very idea of knowing oneself... Posnock has written an excellent book of criticism, exploring not just Roth, but also literature that emerged mid-century with roots in a long tradition of American and European art."--Peter Terry, ForeWord
Table of ContentsPreface xi Acknowledgments xix List of Abbreviations xxi Chapter 1: Introduction: Roth Antagonistes 1 Chapter 2: Immaturity: A Genealogy 39 Chapter 3: Ancestors and Relatives: The Game of Appropriation and the Sacrifice of Assimilation 88 Chapter 4: "A very slippery subject": The Counterlife as Pivot 125 Chapter 5: Letting Go, or How to Lead a Stupid Life: Sabbath's Nakedness 155 Chapter 6: Being Game in The Human Stain 193 Chapter 7: The Two Philips 236 Coda: "The stars are indispensable" 260 Notes 267 Works Cited 287 Index 295
