Major Issues
Author Links
Essay Questions

Major Issues

Philip Roth’s fiction is often reviewed and discussed in the context of post-World War II Jewish American literature. Leaders of the Jewish community have condemned Roth’s satirical portrayal of Jews, and have joined others in the criticism of Roth’s literary exploration of sexuality. Other critics, however, argue that Roth has a right to artistic liberty over his fictional characters and that the issues and difficulties his characters face are not meant to be interpreted as unique to Jewish Americans. A common Roth theme, for example, is the conflict between social conformity and individuality. Roth’s protagonists, scholars note, are often searching for an individual identity in a society that celebrates monolithic sameness and represses diversity through assimilation. Roth’s style ranges from realistic to surrealistic, but his writing is always readable and often humorous. A number of critical essays compare Roth’s work to Kafka’s.

Author Links

Philip Roth Research Homepage
This site provides a biography and bibliography of primary and critical works (but no links).

Featured Author: Philip Roth
Reviews of Roth’s works, plus articles by and about Roth from The New York Times archives.

Philip Roth
This short biographical essay identifies the key events in Roth’s literary career.

New York Review of Books
Links to three decades of articles by Roth.

A Pulitzer Prize for Roth
This article honours Roth on the occasion of his 1998 Pulitzer Prize.

Philip Roth Blows Up
This magazine profile re-evaluates Roth’s place in contemporary American literature.