John Updike

the long version

"The author of Couples, The Coup, and Rabbit, Run has drawn an increasingly wide readership over the past twenty years, and major critical attention as well. Why are the Updike protagonists torn with such hopeless intensity between their physical desires and their spiritual yearnings? Why so they attempt repeatedly--and in vain--to give religious meaning to the sexual act? These are some of the questions addressed in this new study. Each of Updike's ten novels is scrutinized with a discerning critical eye, and a separate chapter explores the notable short stories so frequently anthologized. Updike's unique style, which makes all of his fiction especially memorable, receives full attention. But the major focus here is on his overriding themes of love and anguish, lust and penance. Updike is acutely aware of the moral and spiritual vacuum in contemporary American life. He sees the need for transcendent religious experience--for which his characters grope. Unhappily, a society that increasingly restricts marital and family commitments diminishes or destroys such a possibility. Readers who respond to the impressive Updike fictional style will find this attractive study an excellent companion to one of our major writers."--Jacket.