Critical Unmoorings: An Introduction to Philip Roth Studies

Abstract

the Philip Roth Society was founded in 2002, I received many responses as its president regarding its organization and function, why it had not been formed earlier, why such a controversial author deserved this kind of attention, and why it was controversial that such an important author of Roth's stature was not receiving this kind of attention. But there was one question that kept cropping up: When will the society publish a scholarly journal devoted to Philip Roth? Given the frequency and manner of this question, it seemed that taking on such a task was an everyday occurrence and that founding a journal was not the formidable project that I had always envisioned. Nonetheless, I knew that beginning a journal was easier said than done-easier if you are the one suggesting it, an arduous undertaking if you are the one performing the grunt work-and because of the professional and financial investment required, most of the members of the Philip Roth Society did nothing more than flirt with the possibility of a journal for the first few years of the society's existence.Now we are no longer flirting. As this inaugural issue of Philip Roth Studies demonstrates, society members feel that the time is right for a brand-new journal, one devoted to the writings of Roth and his impact on the literary world stage. He is certainly one of the most exciting novelists living today, and his critical reputation has grown tremendously in the past fifteen years. This is not to suggest that his writing lacked stature prior to the late 1980s. His standing as a significant novelist had already been secured through such works as Goodbye, Columbus, Portnoy's Complaint, and the initial Zuckerman trilogy. But since the publication of The Counterlife, he has produced, at almost breakneck speed, an ambitious series of novels that has surpassed his previous work in terms of cultural scope and artistry, a body of work that has not gone unnoticed by the critics. His most recent work has earned him a dizzying array of literary honors, including a National Book Critics Circle Award (Patrimony), a National Book Award (Sabbath's Theater), two PEN/ Faulkner Awards (Operation Shylock and The Human Stain], and the Pulitzer Prize for fiction (American Pastoral). Add to this the National Arts Club Medal of Honor (1991), the National Medal of Arts (1998), the American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal for Fiction (2001), and the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters (2002), and one sees a career that, at least in the eyes of the critics, is seemingly at the apex of its trajectory.Perhaps even more significant than the awards is the scholarly community's increased attention on Roth. Since 2000, there have been six book-length studies on Roth, single-authored as well as edited collections, with the promise of several more on the way.1 In addition, there have been close to one hundred journal essays and book chapters devoted to his writings, including two special issues of scholarly journals that focus exclusively on Roth.2 Daniel Walden, the editor of Studies in American Jewish Literature, approached me in 2002 about guest editing a special Roth issue, I had no way of knowing what kind of reaction I would receive from the call for papers. The magnitude of this response-the sheer number of abstracts and essays received reflecting completed projects, works in progress, and ideas for future studies-was stunning, and it led me to believe that, given what seems to be a considerably growing interest in the novelist, the time was right for a Roth journal.The essays in this inaugural issue of Philip Roth Studies are excellent examples of the kind of scholarship that the journal would like to foster. Gillian Steinberg's piece on Defender of the Faith and David Gooblar's study of psychotherapy and narrative demonstrate that Roth's early fiction continues to be a locus of immense interest. On the other hand, Tamas Dobozy's intriguing Derridean reading of Operation Shylock is an example of some of die more exciting work being done on the later novels. …