Updike, John (Vol. 7) | Updike, John 1932–
Updike, John 1932–
Updike, an American novelist, critic, poet, and short story writer, infuses the apparent superficiality of his material—American domesticity, sexuality, and religiosity—with ultimate concerns. According to Alfred Kazin, "His real subject—the dead hand of 'society,' the fixity of institutions—has gone hand in hand with the only vision of freedom as the individual's recognition of God." Some critics consider Updike America's finest novelist. (See also Contemporary Authors, Vols 1-4, rev. ed.)
John Updike's characteristic hero-figure spends most of his life switchbacking from guilt to bliss, from sexual guilt to spiritual bliss, from spiritual guilt to sexual bliss—except that neither brand of bliss is the real thing. The only bliss that properly deserves the name is that which is (in both spiritual and sexual ways) most guilty. We remember the ringing of church bells that accompanied Rabbit Angstrom's...
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