Narrative, Identity, and Historical Memory in Philip Roth’s Fiction
Abstract
Philip Roth’s literary oeuvre offers a profound examination of narrative experimentation, identity formation, and historical consciousness in American fiction. This paper investigates Roth’s key novels—Portnoy’s Complaint, The Ghost Writer, American Pastoral, and The Human Stain—to explore how they articulate Jewish-American identity, negotiate trauma, and engage with national mythologies. By blending satire with psychological depth, Roth confronts the contradictions of personal and collective experience. This study draws from close textual analysis and critical scholarship to situate Roth’s legacy as a pivotal figure in modern
American literature.
References
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Roth, Philip. The Ghost Writer. Farrar Straus Giroux, 1979.
Roth, Philip. American Pastoral. Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
Roth, Philip. The Human Stain. Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
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JETIR Journal No: 63975, Volume 11, issue 7. July – 2024
