The Duet Of Reality And Fantasy: The Interfusion Of Realism And Postmodernism In Philip Roth's The Ghost Writer

Philip Roth is one of the most controversial writers in contemporary American literature. While some commentators view his work as anti-Semitic, obscenity bordering on pornography, and self-indulgence, others laud Roth's skill of exuberance, inventiveness and his fantastic humor. In my view, Roth's complexity lies in a variety of narrative methods adopted in his works as well. Throughout his career Roth has experimented with narrative methods producing fiction that has grown increasingly sophisticated and technically interesting. The Ghost Writer is one of the best examples in which Philip Roth experiments with the interfusion of two modes of writing. By analyzing this representative work, this thesis intends to explore the embodiment of the realistic mode of representation and the postmodern narrative strategies in the novel and the aesthetic effects achieved through the interfusion of the two seemingly exclusive modes of writing, namely, the comic effect and the magnifying effect.The thesis consists of four chapters plus an"Introduction"and a"Conclusion".Chapter One defines the literary terms relating to the discussion of the novel, namely, realism, postmodernism, intertextuality, decanonization and metafiction, whose definitions are inspired by Damian Grant, Edmund Smyth, Gerard Genette, Michael Riffaterre, Ihab Hassan and Mark Currie respectively.Chapter Two focuses on the embodiment of realism in the novel, namely the representation of the two main characters: Lonoff and Zuckerman and their arts through the realistic methods: banal and generalized shared experience, first-person voice, description of physical appearance and mannerism of characters and specific and concrete settings. The thesis perceives the sharp contrast between the lives and arts they pursue. Lonoff alienates himself from the turbulent outside world and sacrifices ordinary human pleasure to live an immaculate life and fashion an art of impersonalization. By contrast, Zuckerman's life is exuberant, full of turbulence, and his art is full of references. In his eyes, the ordinary human pleasure provides resources and inspirations for art. Lonoff's perfect art is actually an art of stillness and changelessness. He pursues the art of impersonation with the tension between the original and the disguise. Chapter Three discusses the embodiment of intertextuality, decanonization and metafiction in the novel. Through intertextuality, Roth cunningly integrates into the novel Henry James's"The Middle Years", James Joyce's The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Anne Frank's The Diary of Anne Frank. He also refers to Henry James's"The Author of Beltrafio"and Franz Kafka's"The Hunger Artist". By rewriting the ending of the classic The Diary of Anne Frank, Roth decanonizes the Jewish Saint Anne Frank into an ordinary girl, Amy Bellette, who treats art instrumentally and violates some moral values. The characters'criticism of works and the meta-narrative all expose the text's own metafictionality. And through integrating his personal experience into the novel, Roth exhibits Zuckerman's art of impersonation personally and challenges the traditional understanding of the relation between art and life.Chapter Four points out the aesthetic effects achieved through the interfusion of realism and postmodernism in The Ghost Writer. Realism's aesthetic effect--life-likeness is seemingly antipathic with postmodernism's fantasy. But the conflict between them just endows the novel with the comic effect. Meanwhile, through the combination of the realistic representation and intertextuality, it achieves the magnifying effect. In a sense, this novel is not about just one or two artists but about a group of artists. It concerns itself with their common problems, vexations, and virtues, and what qualities they should have to live a true artistic life.In conclusion, this thesis suggests that the complexity of the current situation and the cruel reality writers confront are the reasons why Roth interfuses two seemingly exclusive modes of writing in his novel. He informs us that the complexity and variety of the current cultural situation can no longer be represented by any single mode of writing but by a hybrid--a mixture of modes in which the relations between various narratives are cunningly negotiated.