Fifty years into Philip Roths career, agreement has not yet been reached on the nature of his achievement. Is he the post-war Jewish-American writer par excellence, or a hyphenless American, commentator of American experience? Is he the faithful defender of the realist tradition, a citizen of the world, or the playful postmodernist?The Major Phases of Philip Roth confronts his remarkable diversity by accounting for each stage of Rothian preoccupation, from the comedy and seriousness to the Judaism and psychoanalysis. This refreshing study is not intent on locating a single unifying theme. Featu.