YEARS OF THE PLAGUE. A REREADING OF PHILIP ROTH’S NEMESIS
YEARS OF THE PLAGUE. A REREADING OF PHILIP ROTH’S NEMESIS
Author(s): Gabriela GlăvanSubject(s): Jewish studies, Studies of Literature, WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), History of the Holocaust, American Literature
Published by: Editura Universităţii de Vest din Timişoara / Diacritic Timisoara
Keywords: collective death; ethnic conflict; illness; Jewishness; poliomyelitis; World War II;
Summary/Abstract: Philip Roth’s exit from the literary scene occurred in 2010, with the publication of Nemesis, a novel that stands apart in the writer’s oeuvre. This final book explores a dramatic moment in 20th century American history – the poliomyelitis epidemic that claimed the lives of thousands of children in two deadly waves, in 1916 and 1952. Roth recontextualizes this dramatic event by integrating it into the Second World War period, in 1944, and focuses on the tragic destiny of Bucky Cantor, a sports teacher doomed to play a significant role in this unusual context. I shall focus on the metamorphosis of Roth’s central death theme, interpret Cantor’s role as tragic hero and propose a rereading of the novel that integrates the current moment – the COVID19 epidemic.
Journal: B.A.S. British and American Studies
- Issue Year: 27/2021
- Issue No: 27
- Page Range: 191-199
- Page Count: 9
- Language: English