Political Initiation in the Novels of Philip Roth

Political Initiation in the Novels of Philip Roth exemplifies how literature and, specifically, the work of Philip Roth can help readers understand the ways in which individuals develop their political identity, learn to comprehend political ideas, and define their role in society. Combining political science, literary theory, and anthropology, the book describes an individual's political coming of age as a political initiation story, which is crafted as much by the individual himself as by the circumstances influencing him, such as political events or the political attitude of the parents.

Philip Roth's characters constantly re-write their own stories and experiment with their identities. Accordingly, Philip Roth's works enable the reader to explore, for instance, how individuals construct their identity against the backdrop of political transformations or contested territories, and thereby become initiands-or fail to do so. Contrary to what one might expect, initiations are not only defining moments in childhood and early adulthood; instead, Roth shows how initiation processes recur throughout an individual's life.

Auteur

Claudia Franziska Brühwiler is Lecturer at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Contenu

Prologue / I Framework / 1. Beginnings and Transitions in Political Science and Literature / II Classical Initiation Stories / 2. Political Awakenings in The Plot Against America and Indignation / 3. Guided by the Particularizer: I Married a Communist / 4. Political Odysseys: Prague, Israel, and Elsewhere / III Initiation as Radical Self-Invention / 5. Passing and Other Escapes from the Hereditary Predicament / 6. The Religious Void, or Terrorist Art: Fanaticism as a Quest for Identity / IV De-Initiation / 7. For Another Go: (Zucker)man as a Perpetual Initiand / Epilogue / Bibliography / Index