"Rabbit, Run!" A New Interpretation: Cambridge American Novel New Interpretations, 2 (English Photographic Reprint Edition)

Author: Trachtenberg (S. Trachtenberg), Editor
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Rabbit, Run! remains one of Updike's most popular and highly acclaimed novels, written in 1959 when the author was only 28 years old. The themes and stylistic innovations of the novel represent the beginning of Updike's exploration of the American spirit, American cultural characteristics, and American history over the following 30 years. The first volume of the Rabbit tetralogy introduces the protagonist, Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, who embodies one of the American middle-class members that Updike believed were not particularly handsome, intelligent, or a bit rustic, but always willing to express themselves. This hero, who continually recognizes his mistakes, struggles with sexual desires, religious sentiments, and the challenges of being a father and a mother, seems to be suffocated by the perplexing, exhilarating, and ever-changing American society. Updike's writing is filled with narrative power and spiritual description, vividly portraying the tense contradictions and the various compromises we must face with age and the mystical aspects of religion. This book's essays are written by a group of distinguished international scholars, not only examining the mastery of writing techniques and the achievement of its status as an important work of American modern literature, but also continuously inspiring the range of critical themes.