Major Phases of Philip Roth

David Gooblar writes about and teaches twentieth-century American literature. He lives in Iowa City with his wife and daughter.

David Gooblar's The Major Phases of Philip Roth is not only a useful addition to the critical response surrounding Roth's work, but it's a rewarding experience in its own right. Building off of the scholarship that has come before, his book provides a unique overview of Roth's career and presents it as it truly is: a series of twists, shifts, and convergences revolving around the inner world of the writer and the larger culture onto which that self is projected.

• Introduction / Timeline / 1. The New York Intellectuals: Goodbye, Columbus / 2. The Idea of Seriousness: Portnoy's Complaint / 3. Franz Kafka, Anne Frank, and Roth's Personal Culture: After Portnoy I / 4. The Freudian Lock: After Portnoy II / 5. Non-Fiction Writings / 6. The American Experience: American Pastoral, I Married a Communist and The Human Stain /Biography / Index