The Jewish Stain
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Lander, Joshua (2019) Philip Roth and the "Jewish Body". PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/75172/ Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten: Theses https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Philip Roth and the “Jewish Body” Joshua Lander MA (Hons), M.Litt Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of PH.D. Theology & Religious Studies Word Count: 80,597 School of Critical Studies College of Arts University of Glasgow May 2019 Abstract In the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency, American and European readers turned to Philip Roth’s The Plot Against America (2004) in an attempt to understand how such a tyrant could have risen to power. Trump’s ascension, combined with Roth’s death last year, generated a renewed interest in the author’s literature and his explorations of what it means to be an American. This thesis foregrounds Roth’s examinations of Americanness by thematising the “Jewish body” in his fictions. I explore how Jewishness has been racially codified through the body, and how Roth’s fiction subversively responds to and resists antisemitic racial binaries that sought to distinguish the “Jew” from the “American”. In its investigation of the “Jewish body”, the thesis examines how Jews in America were re-racialized after the Second World War and the Shoah, noting the ways in which Jews’ entry into “whiteness” affected conceptualizations of Jewish gender differences. In its discussion of race and gender, the thesis confronts Roth’s problematic representations of women and the masculinist focus underpinning the author’s fictions. In doing so, the thesis expands beyond Roth’s treatment of masculinity and male desire that has dominated Roth scholarship. Instead, I bring into focus Roth’s representation of Jewish matriarchs, nationality, sexuality, and race, using the “Jewish body” as the thematic kernel to interlink each chapter. The thesis argues Roth undermines racism and antisemitism, and considers to what extent the author risks replicating the sexism underpinning America’s racist social structures. i Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iii Abbreviations .................................................................................................................. iv Introduction: Jews that Matter ........................................................................................... 1 Reading Roth and Others .............................................................................................. 2 Jewish Matters ........................................................................................................... 20 Chapter 1: Mother is Matter, Too. ................................................................................... 32 Mother’s Flesh ........................................................................................................... 33 Mama the Monster ...................................................................................................... 41 “A breast, then a lap, then a fading voice” .................................................................... 58 Chapter 2: The Jew Also Rises ........................................................................................ 80 Jews and the Nation-State ........................................................................................... 81 Like All Other Men .................................................................................................... 86 Israel as Wonderland .................................................................................................. 92 Gender Trouble(s) in The Counterlife .......................................................................... 99 Goodbye, America .................................................................................................... 107 Gloucestershire: Where the Grass Couldn’t Be Greener .............................................. 114 Chapter 3: Almost Like Gentiles ................................................................................... 124 Entering into the Green ............................................................................................. 125 Dream, dream, dream................................................................................................ 134 “Subtlest beast of all the field” .................................................................................. 137 The Monster Merry................................................................................................... 142 Through Eden took their Solitary way ........................................................................ 147 Chapter 4: Black Skin, Jewish Masks ............................................................................ 154 The Jewish Stain ...................................................................................................... 155 The Blackness of the Jewish Body ............................................................................. 161 The Human Stain ...................................................................................................... 167 The Persecuting Spirit ............................................................................................... 171 The Raw Singular “I” ............................................................................................... 179 The Big White Thing ................................................................................................ 192 Writing in the Dark ................................................................................................... 202 Conclusion: The Life and Death of a Male Body ............................................................ 212 Bibliography: ............................................................................................................... 215 Primary Texts: .......................................................................................................... 215 Secondary Texts: ...................................................................................................... 216 ii Acknowledgements Well, this took a bit longer than anticipated! So there’s quite a few folk I’d like to thank for all their support, patience, advice, love, guidance, money, time, energy, and assistance. You all kept me afloat when I felt like I was falling apart. I would like to acknowledge the Theology and Religious studies department at the University of Glasgow for the numerous research grants I received. Your support ensured the completion of this project. Additionally, I would like to thank the British Association of Jewish Studies for awarding me their Studentship award. I am particularly grateful to Dr. Helen Spurling and Dr. Zuleika Rodgers. You were both so supportive, encouraging, and patient with me. I would also like to recognise the encouragement of Dr. Jane Goldman. You pushed me towards Jewish American literature, and I don’t think I’d have ended up where I am today without you. Infinite thanks to Dr. Mia Spiro. You’ve been with me for five years, and you’ve been an absolute stalwart of support. You went above and beyond for me, and I am so indebted to you for all the work you’ve done to help me get this thesis submitted. Massive, massive thanks to Dr. Chris Gair, too. Your feedback was invaluable, and your response time to emails legendary. Your calmness was infectious, and your belief in me flattering. Thank you to Dr. Alex Cuthbert. You helped me embrace my dyspraxia, drastically improved my working methods, and kept me focused. On a similar note, I’d like to acknowledge Fiona Gray: you basically saved my life. I cannot fathom where I’d be without you. Thank you, Fiona. Special thanks to the Philip Roth society, particularly Dr. Aimee Pozorski and Dr. Maren Scheurer. Your feedback was instrumental in constructing the third chapter of this thesis. Thanks too to Dr. Debra Shostak for all the advice and encouragement. Also, I have to thank the FOCUS West team at Strathclyde University for sticking with me these last few years. I know I’ve been a pain in the arse and missed loads of shifts, but I absolutely treasure my job as a Mentor and am so privileged to be able to do such meaningful work. Also, the chums. I’d like to thank these amazing people (in no particular order): Emma Ward (for the desk, the advice, and making me cry), Angela Kay (for helping me when I cried), Calum Weir (for all the pints, coffees, and rants), Ross Cook, Louise Creechan, Andrew Campbell, Sophie Sexon (for whipping me into shape), Dr. Alex Campbell, Dr. Amy Bromley, Katy Hastie, Stuart Purcell, Ian Mason, Andrew Robins, Robbie Nicholson, and Omar Yassin. Finally, I want to thank my mum for all the love, support, patience, energy, and cash; you done good, Mammy. iii Abbreviations