The Breast (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Philip Roth
- First Published: 1972
- Type of Work: Novella
- Type of Plot: Fantasy—magical realism
- Time of Work: 1971-1972
- Setting: New York City
- Genres: Short fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy
- Subjects: 1970’s, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Sex or sexuality, New York City, Metamorphosis or transmogrification
- Locales: New York, NY
The Plot
The narrator, David Kepesh, recounts the changes that occurred in his life in the preceding two years, beginning with the peculiar sensations he felt in his penis. These sensations of increased sensitivity, accompanied by increased sexual desire, led to the change that took place between midnight and 4 a.m. on February 18, 1971. Kepesh became a six-foot, 155-pound human female breast. The novella chronicles Kepesh’s responses to his condition, which vary from acceptance to a conviction that he has become mad.
The novella is divided into five sections. In the...
[The entire page is 934 words long]
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