210:, has contributed more to the confessional climate than Philip Roth. Thanks to "Portnoy's Complaint" a good slice of contemporary fiction seems to come verbatim from the writer's own hours on the couch. This would be a dubious distinction had Roth's book not also boldly altered the tone of our confessional writing, most of which had been lugubrious and realistic, smothered in angst and high-seriousness. Reaching back instead to the raunchy, delirious autobiographical manner of Henry Miller and Céline--indeed, perpetuating an unseemly imitation of the latter's great "Death on the Installment Plan"--Roth pitched his anguish in such a low comic strain that the effect was irresistible. If there has been a funnier novel in the last 10 years, or one that exploits sex, psychoanalysis, and the "family romance" more brilliantly, I don't know what it could be.
213:...Like Rousseau's "Confessions" and its modern progeny, "My Life as a Man" is reckless in inviting us to review the man rather than the writer: that's part of its appeal. To get the story out Roth is willing to look not only ignoble and self-centered, but also foolish, helpless, even a little ugly (as in Peter's final satisfaction at his wife's death). But if the personal-confessional mode highlights Roth's limitations it also returns him to the day-to-day carnival of human folly that he can describe so ringingly, so comically, even as it goes on tormenting him.
27:
674:
151:
The work is split into two sections: the first section, "Useful
Fictions," consisting of two short stories, titled "Salad Days" and "Courting Disaster (or "Serious in the Fifties"), about a character named
156:, and the second section, "My True Story," which takes the form of a first-person memoir by Peter Tarnopol, a Jewish writer who authored the two stories in the first section.
167:
is the first of Roth's work that tackles the issue of the writer's relationship to his work, a theme he would develop in subsequent novels, particularly
803:
456:
174:
173:. In his autobiography, Roth reveals that much of Tarnopol's life is based on his own experiences; for example, Roth's destructive marriage to
250:
748:
386:
314:
260:
112:
533:
798:
186:
793:
700:
773:
66:
651:
307:
740:
692:
488:
323:
472:
429:
708:
370:
223:
194:
756:
567:
659:
628:
402:
300:
724:
612:
732:
354:
559:
525:
480:
464:
362:
346:
256:
169:
119:
107:
604:
517:
500:
437:
378:
153:
575:
551:
541:
510:
787:
207:
203:
177:, which is portrayed through Tarnopol's relationship with the character of Maureen.
716:
620:
327:
140:
40:
583:
421:
667:
26:
292:
126:
192:, critic Morris Dickstein compared the novel to its predecessor
296:
120:
255:. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 77.
767:
684:
643:
594:
499:
448:
413:
334:
252:
118:
106:
98:
90:
82:
72:
62:
54:
46:
36:
308:
8:
19:
338:
315:
301:
293:
18:
241:
282:Morris Dickstein, "My Life as a Man,"
7:
14:
804:Holt, Rinehart and Winston books
94:Print (hardback & paperback)
25:
1:
675:Library of America collection
663:(1980, revised edition 1993)
249:Royal, Derek Parker (2005).
820:
774:Philip Roth: The Biography
139:(1974) is American writer
67:Holt, Rinehart and Winston
652:Reading Myself and Others
341:
24:
16:1974 novel by Philip Roth
749:The Plot Against America
489:The Plot Against America
387:The Great American Novel
430:The Professor of Desire
215:
799:Novels by Philip Roth
596:Nemeses: Short Novels
568:I Married a Communist
200:
794:1974 American novels
660:A Philip Roth Reader
202:No writer, not even
701:Portnoy's Complaint
685:Film/TV adaptations
371:Portnoy's Complaint
195:Portnoy's Complaint
31:First edition cover
21:
534:The Anatomy Lesson
284:The New York Times
188:The New York Times
175:Margaret Martinson
143:'s seventh novel.
781:
780:
741:American Pastoral
693:Goodbye, Columbus
639:
638:
560:American Pastoral
526:Zuckerman Unbound
481:Operation Shylock
403:Sabbath's Theater
363:When She Was Good
347:Goodbye, Columbus
170:Operation Shylock
132:
131:
83:Publication place
20:My Life As A Man
811:
518:The Ghost Writer
438:The Dying Animal
395:My Life as a Man
339:
317:
310:
303:
294:
287:
280:
274:
273:
271:
269:
246:
229:My Life as a Man
165:My Life as a Man
154:Nathan Zuckerman
136:My Life as a Man
122:
74:Publication date
29:
22:
819:
818:
814:
813:
812:
810:
809:
808:
784:
783:
782:
777:
763:
709:The Human Stain
680:
635:
590:
576:The Human Stain
552:The Counterlife
542:The Prague Orgy
511:Zuckerman Bound
495:
444:
409:
330:
321:
291:
290:
281:
277:
267:
265:
263:
248:
247:
243:
238:
227:Book Review on
220:
183:
162:
149:
91:Media type
75:
32:
17:
12:
11:
5:
817:
815:
807:
806:
801:
796:
786:
785:
779:
778:
771:
769:
765:
764:
762:
761:
753:
745:
737:
729:
721:
713:
705:
697:
688:
686:
682:
681:
679:
678:
672:
664:
656:
647:
645:
641:
640:
637:
636:
634:
633:
625:
617:
609:
600:
598:
592:
591:
589:
588:
580:
572:
564:
556:
548:
547:
546:
538:
530:
522:
506:
504:
497:
496:
494:
493:
485:
477:
469:
461:
452:
450:
446:
445:
443:
442:
434:
426:
417:
415:
411:
410:
408:
407:
399:
391:
383:
375:
367:
359:
351:
342:
336:
332:
331:
322:
320:
319:
312:
305:
297:
289:
288:
286:, June 2, 1974
275:
261:
240:
239:
237:
234:
233:
232:
225:New York Times
219:
218:External links
216:
182:
179:
161:
158:
148:
145:
130:
129:
124:
116:
115:
110:
104:
103:
100:
96:
95:
92:
88:
87:
84:
80:
79:
76:
73:
70:
69:
64:
60:
59:
56:
52:
51:
48:
44:
43:
38:
34:
33:
30:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
816:
805:
802:
800:
797:
795:
792:
791:
789:
776:
775:
770:
766:
759:
758:
754:
751:
750:
746:
743:
742:
738:
735:
734:
730:
727:
726:
722:
719:
718:
714:
711:
710:
706:
703:
702:
698:
695:
694:
690:
689:
687:
683:
676:
673:
670:
669:
665:
662:
661:
657:
654:
653:
649:
648:
646:
642:
631:
630:
626:
623:
622:
618:
615:
614:
610:
607:
606:
602:
601:
599:
597:
593:
586:
585:
581:
578:
577:
573:
570:
569:
565:
562:
561:
557:
554:
553:
549:
544:
543:
539:
536:
535:
531:
528:
527:
523:
520:
519:
515:
514:
513:
512:
508:
507:
505:
502:
498:
491:
490:
486:
483:
482:
478:
475:
474:
470:
467:
466:
462:
459:
458:
454:
453:
451:
447:
440:
439:
435:
432:
431:
427:
424:
423:
419:
418:
416:
414:Kepesh novels
412:
405:
404:
400:
397:
396:
392:
389:
388:
384:
381:
380:
376:
373:
372:
368:
365:
364:
360:
357:
356:
352:
349:
348:
344:
343:
340:
337:
333:
329:
325:
318:
313:
311:
306:
304:
299:
298:
295:
285:
279:
276:
264:
262:0-275-98363-3
258:
254:
253:
245:
242:
235:
231:
230:
226:
222:
221:
217:
214:
211:
209:
205:
199:
197:
196:
191:
189:
180:
178:
176:
172:
171:
166:
159:
157:
155:
146:
144:
142:
138:
137:
128:
125:
123:
117:
114:
113:0-030-12646-0
111:
109:
105:
101:
97:
93:
89:
86:United States
85:
81:
77:
71:
68:
65:
61:
57:
53:
49:
45:
42:
39:
35:
28:
23:
772:
755:
747:
739:
731:
725:The Humbling
723:
715:
707:
699:
691:
666:
658:
650:
627:
621:The Humbling
619:
611:
603:
595:
582:
574:
566:
558:
550:
540:
532:
524:
516:
509:
487:
479:
471:
463:
455:
436:
428:
420:
401:
394:
393:
385:
377:
369:
361:
353:
345:
283:
278:
266:. Retrieved
251:
244:
228:
224:
212:
201:
193:
187:
184:
168:
164:
163:
150:
135:
134:
133:
733:Indignation
644:Collections
613:Indignation
328:Philip Roth
190:Book Review
141:Philip Roth
41:Philip Roth
788:Categories
584:Exit Ghost
449:Roth books
422:The Breast
355:Letting Go
236:References
757:Deception
677:(2005–17)
668:Shop Talk
501:Zuckerman
473:Patrimony
465:Deception
457:The Facts
181:Reception
63:Publisher
605:Everyman
379:Our Gang
268:22 April
47:Language
768:Related
629:Nemesis
335:Fiction
147:Summary
50:English
760:(2021)
752:(2020)
744:(2016)
736:(2016)
728:(2014)
720:(2008)
712:(2003)
704:(1972)
696:(1969)
671:(2001)
655:(1976)
632:(2010)
624:(2009)
616:(2008)
608:(2006)
587:(2007)
579:(2000)
571:(1998)
563:(1997)
555:(1986)
545:(1985)
537:(1983)
529:(1981)
521:(1979)
503:novels
492:(2004)
484:(1993)
476:(1991)
468:(1990)
460:(1988)
441:(2001)
433:(1977)
425:(1972)
406:(1995)
398:(1974)
390:(1973)
382:(1971)
374:(1969)
366:(1967)
358:(1962)
350:(1959)
259:
208:Lowell
204:Mailer
160:Themes
127:814590
102:330 pp
37:Author
717:Elegy
324:Works
99:Pages
58:Novel
55:Genre
270:2015
257:ISBN
121:OCLC
108:ISBN
78:1974
326:by
206:or
185:In
790::
198::
316:e
309:t
302:v
272:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
