Major Issues
Author Links
Essay Questions

Major Issues

John Updike has been recording and charting the course of middle-class American relationships throughout the second half of the 20th century. Readers and reviewers love his accessible prose, careful manipulation of tone and atmosphere, and thoughtful meditation on what individuals must do to live with themselves and each other. In addition to relationships, critics identify Updike’s major fictional themes as domesticity, sexuality, social roles, and philosophical uncertainty. Scholars have noted Updike’s exploration of the lingering, potent effects of one’s past, especially adolescence, which he treats without nostalgia. The shift from the conventional 1950s to the radical 1960s, which Americans experienced on both a personal and national level, has been fully explored in Updike’s fiction. It has been observed that many of Updike’s characters, likewise, are shown in the process of moving from complacency to uncertainty.

Author Links

The Centaurian
This extensive website includes a detailed timeline, annotated critical bibliography, photographs, "Updikiana" news items, and more.

Featured Author: John Updike
Reviews of Updike’s work, articles by and about Updike from The New York Times archives, and audio links. (Please note that you may need to register to the NY Times website before you can view this page.)

"As close as you can get to the stars"
A "Salon" interview in which Updike talks about movies, critics, contemporary American writing, and political correctness.

John Updike
This bio-critical introduction points out highlights of Updike’s highly successful literary career.

Nineteen Forties
A short memoir in which Updike discusses his earliest literary memories.