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Philip Roth: Portnoy’s Complaint

JL;DR SUMMARY Philip Roth's novel "Portnoy's Complaint" exemplifies the cultural crossroads of the late 1960s, blending Jewish stand-up comedy with literature and psychoanalysis. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HistoryJewish IdentityPsychoanalysisJewish ComedyPhilip RothPortnoy's Complaint1960sCultural ShiftsLiterary ControversyFreudian Themes

Places mentioned

New York, United States
"this patient is employed as assistant commissioner for the City of New York Commission on Human Opportunity, Roth makes it clear that Portnoy never altogether deactivated his Jewish superego."
Newark, New Jersey, United States
"Portnoy breaks all the rules of decorum and grammar, railing against the restrictions as though he were being raised in the Haredi community of Monsey rather than by nominally affiliated parents in Newark."
Israel
"Portnoy dutifully tours the country, and being the immature, undereducated American Jew that he is, he has pretty trite reactions, like, Wow! Everyone here is Jewish!"

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Cairo Item ID 48165
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Retrieved 2025-04-03 05:32:09 UTC
Curated 2025-04-03 08:34:08 UTC