The Counterlife (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Philip Roth
- First Published: 1986
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Metafiction
- Time of Work: 1978
- Setting: New York City, New Jersey, Israel, and London
- Genres: Long fiction, Metafiction
- Subjects: 1970’s, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Authors or writers, New York City, Writing, Jews or Jewish life, Storytelling, London, Israel or Israelis, Judaism, Jews and Gentiles
- Locales: New York, NY, London, England, New Jersey, Israel
Characters Discussed
Nathan Zuckerman, a Jewish writer based to some extent on the author. A tall, dark man in his mid-forties, he is the supposed author of the novel as well as a character in it. In the second of five chapters, he goes to Israel at the request of Carol, Henry’s wife, who wants Nathan to convince Henry to return home. In chapter 4, he is impotent as a result of cardiac drugs, the same condition ascribed to Henry in chapter 1. The events of chapter 4 are background to earlier chapters. In chapter 4, Nathan meets Maria, who moves into his building with her...
[The entire page is 1362 words long]
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