Editors' Note

Abstract

Editors' Note Aimee Pozorski and Maren Scheurer Late last fall and into early spring, we watched in mutual horror as the coronavirus swept from Asia to Europe and to both coasts of the United States. On March 13, when almost all of the United States shut down by mutual consent, the world seemed to grind to a halt. Even as we write this note in July of 2020, we watch in horror still as several countries worldwide, including the United States, have failed to contain this epidemic. We wait with bated breath as we learn the fates of our universities in the fall, and when you hold this journal in your hands, that fall will already be upon us. The two of us met and bonded over thoughtful and deliberate conversations about Roth's representations of disease, illness, and mortality. Our partnership and mutual respect are founded on sensitivity toward treatments (literary and medical) of illness. We know the kinds of bodily, social, historical, and cultural damage that illness brings. We were well prepared for a slowing of scholarship, publishing, and even community as the coronavirus and societal upheaval spread around the world, a kind of dual-edged pandemic that has worked like a burning lens to point us to inequities in society—inequities that Roth's work, at least in part, lays bare. But, as it turns out, you didn't stop. Purdue University Press did not stop. We did not stop. The drafts of the articles in this journal came in on time alongside cheerful and supportive messages from Katherine Purple at Purdue University Press, and even the copyright holders of the images in this issue. Your work kept coming in with a sense of urgency rarely felt; even as borders were closed and even as we all were seemingly focused on the financial, cultural, and medical impacts of the pandemic, we received edited work, requests, and submissions from all over the world, demonstrating the range and diversity of Roth Studies. We just all kept going in this world that had simultaneously stalled out and sped up, unsure of when and how to continue our work as writers and editors. [End Page 1] In this age of uncertainty, in other words, we want to express our sincere gratitude for our family of Philip Roth scholars. We tend to think about "quaran-teams" as those family members and friends we have chosen physically to quarantine with. But they also compose our networks of colleagues and friends who have helped us find our way, even remotely, during this time. You are among our strongest quaran-teams. This issue is for you. [End Page 2] Copyright © 2020 Purdue University