A Tentative Study Of Sexual Description In Philip Roth's Novels

This dissertation is to study the function of sexual descriptions in the works of Philip Roth, one of the greatest contemporary novelists in the United States. Chapter one makes a brief introduction of Roth's life, as well as his literary career, which may well be divided into three periods.The second chapter introduces the relationship between sex and literature. To begin with, a brief illumination is rendered on sex development in human history. Secondly, sex, as a literary theme, is elicited. The last point is the unravelment of the functions of sexual description in literary creation, with some data for illustration.Chapter three epitomizes sexual portrayals in three works in Roth's early creation, in which Goodbye, Columbus is Roth's maiden work and accordingly, the narration of sex is rather light and indistinct. Portnoy's Complaints is the most controversial novel by Roth and the protagonist feels like breaking away from and revolting against traditional Jewish moral fetters by way of the release of sexual desire. Breast is a novel of representative Kafkaesque style. In Roth's early time, sex is a ferocious literary catalyst against traditional Jewish moral fetters.The fourth chapter analyzes sexual portrayals in Roth's novels since 1990. Two novels are taken as samples. American Pastoral portrays the ups and downs of the Seymours in a span of several decades. The protagonist of Sabbath's Theatre is an obscene scoundrel pure and simple. Sex, as a literary theme in Roth's work, is not as radical as that of his early time. And sex is employed to manifest a sense of crisis consisting in the middle-aged of the Americans, as well as dissatisfaction and helplessness toward the society.The last chapter is a summary of the previous chapters, that is, in his early creations, Philip Roth stands from a perspective of the youth, packing a punch against traditional Jewish moral fetters. In his late period of literary creation, Roth is on the side of those middle-aged and elderly, expressing a sense of crisis consisting in the middle-aged of the Americans, as well as dissatisfaction and helplessness toward the society. Sex, as a literary instrument for Roth, contributes highly to breaking away from and revolting against traditional Jewish moral fetters. On the other hand, too many erotic portrayals boggle the seriousness of literature and impair his realistic criticism, which is especially striking in his 1969 novel Portnoy's Complaints.