Philip Roth Considered: The Concentrationary Universe of the American Writer (Studies in Major Literary Authors) [Hardcover]

Steven Milowitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0815339577 | ISBN-13: 978-0815339571 | Edition: 1

This book comprehensively surveys Philip Roth's published and unpublished works, focusing on the thematic unity which binds them together: the memory of the Holocaust and the altered universe born of that memory. The Holocaust is understood as the orienting event for Roth's fiction and non-fiction, the force that surrounds the characters and the narratives at all times. Roth's obsession with questions of the Holocaust, questions of responsibility, meaning, and powerlessness, explains his recurring discussion of entrapment, dehumanisation, nihilism, guilt, and coercion. The 'concentrationary universe' of the title is defined, in this work, as not only the universe of camps, but also the universe that exists after the devastation. Moral and philosophical norms are revoked in this new world. Roth's early works are presented on a desolate landscape. The introduction explicates this landscape, specifically by invoking an early play of Roth's, a play which is set in a Jewish ghetto during the Holocaust. This unpublished work introduces the historical period that shapes the visions of Roth's future protagonists. The book also studies Roth's relentless excavation of the dilemmas of fathers, mothers, authority figures, and the inner discord of need and purpose. These seemingly run of the mill problems are exacerbated and intensified by the Holocaust's shadowy presence. No relationship, no effort at fulfillment, no action is untempered by history in Roth's varied fictions. Later chapters look directly at Roth's allusions to the Holocaust. They explore, through each of Roth's works, how the Holocaust-thematic -the play of ideology and nihilism-and the Holocaust-pattern -the idea of the past encroaching upon the present -work through Roth's career, informing his readers not only of his fascination with the Holocaust, but of his particularly human way of dealing with it. The conclusion connects Roth's specific concentrationary universe to the larger world. The linguistic clues of Roth's novels are revealed and investigated, pointing to Roth's celebration of ambiguity and individuality as parts of an imperfect formula for writing and living in the debased aftermath of the Holocaust.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Recommended especially for upper-division undergraduates.
–Choice, April, 2001

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (August 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815339577
• ISBN-13: 978-0815339571
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,285,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Milowitz Considered, June 21, 2001

By 

Adam Joachim Goldman (new york, new york United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philip Roth Considered: The Concentrationary Universe of the American Writer (Studies in Major Literary Authors) (Hardcover)

It's high time someone wrote an insightful book about this Brilliant Jewish-American author, and Dr. Steven M. Milowitz has risen to the task. Milowitz whisks us away on a provocative and challenging magic carpet ride through the concentrationary Universe of the pulitzer-prize winning author. It is a masterpiece of modern literary critism: combining intensive scholarship with insightful anicdotes to bring us a work of such staggering genius one can not help but marvel. Hats off to you, Doc!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly wonderful book, May 14, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Philip Roth Considered: The Concentrationary Universe of the American Writer (Studies in Major Literary Authors) (Hardcover)

Steven Milowitz gives an in-depth analyses of the mind of one the greatest American authors ever. The book literally drew me in, I read it in one sitting. An informative and very well written book, I reccomend it to everyone.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading into Phillip Roth, November 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Philip Roth Considered: The Concentrationary Universe of the American Writer (Studies in Major Literary Authors) (Hardcover)

Steven Milowitz takes us on an unforgettable journey through the mind of one of the greatest Jewish-American writers of all time. It has completely changed my Phillip Roth reading experience. This book is a must read, tour de force.