Philip Roth: America in the Second Half of the 20th Century




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ClassGraphic Philip Roth is acknowledged as one of the most important voices in 20th century American literature. Lauded by critics, embroiled in controversy, and honored with virtually every major American literary award, Philip Roth spent more than six decades chronicling the American experience. Themes of assimilation, social class, the American Dream, and personal identity run throughout his work, from the short stories that established his reputation in the late 1950s to the novels of the acclaimed American Trilogy published four decades later. This study group examines two bookends of Roth’s career: three of his earliest and most celebrated short stories and American Pastoral, widely regarded as his masterpiece. We begin with “The Conversion of the Jews,” “Defender of the Faith,” and “Eli, the Fanatic,” stories that introduced many of the themes Roth would explore throughout his career. We then devote most of our time to American Pastoral, a powerful novel of family, identity, social upheaval, and the unraveling of postwar American optimism. Our texts will be American Pastoral (Vintage Press, 3rd Edition, 2016) and Goodbye, Columbus and Five Short Stories (First Vintage International Edition, September 1993). We supplement our reading with video interviews with Roth and optional critical and biographical readings.

Class Details

14 Session(s)
Weekly - Mon

Location
500 Davis Center

Instructor
Multiple

Tuition:  $0.00

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Schedule Information

Date(s) Class Days Times Location Instructor(s)
9/14/2026 - 12/14/2026 Weekly - Mon 01:15 PM - 03:15 PM Evanston, 500 Davis Center  Map Janet Jablon  ; Arnold Aronoff