Research On Philip Roth’s Zuckerman Books

Philip Roth’s Zuckerman Books is one of his most important seriesbooks. It is consisted of several novels in which Nathan Zuckerman appears asprotagonist or narrator. In Roth’s thirty years writing career,Zuckerman always appearedin his works as Roth’s advocator and mask，sending out Roth’s own voice. As Roth’smost important alter ego，Zuckerman’s life experience seems to have some similaritieswith Roth’s. Although they are not the same one，Roth is inclined to express his thinkingand confusing through him. That’s what makes Zuckerman Books different from hisother series.This article will analyze several important Zuckerman Books in whichZuckerman appeared as a protagonist, discuss the contradiction in Zuckerman and itssignificance for Ross’s creation.The thesis is divided into five parts：the first chapter is the Introduction of PhilipRoth and his Zuckerman Books. It lists out the eleven Zuckerman Books in theirpublished order. The main part of the thesis focus on the conflict of three aspacts:Zuckerman’s contradiction on religion view,on sexual ethics and his oscillating betweenfiction and fact. Every part is centered on a specific character. The second chapter ismainly about the first two novels of Zuckerman Bound trilogy——The Ghost Writerand Zuckerman Unbound. The analysis is centered on the specific image of AnneFrank,in order to explain the conflict between Zuckerman and his father on religionview. The third chapter is mainly about The Counterlife. The analysis is centered on thesymbolic image of Maria, in order to explain Zuckerman’s contradiction on sexualethics.The fourth chapter is about the last novel of Zuckerman Bound trilogy TheAnatomy Lesson and its epilogue The Prague Orgy, and the last Zuckerman book ExitGhost.The analysis is centered on fictional Zuckerman, in order to explain hisself-existence paradox through the oscillating between fiction and fact. The fifth chapteris the conclusion,which points out how Zuckerman reflects Roth’s anxiety and conflictas Roth’s alter ego,and makes Zuckerman Books a complete and coherent narrativesystem.