Literary Criticism for John Updike AP free essay sample

His father was a school teacher and his mother was an aspiring writer. He excelled in school, and worked for his local newspaper. Updike was granted a scholarship to Harvard, and went on to study at Oxford in England. He was first published in 1958, and released a book of poetry. He continued to be published, and in 1963 he received the National Book Award for his book entitled The Centaur. The next year he became the youngest person ever elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters. Updike consistently wrote throughout the 60s and 70s. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1981 for his novel Rabbit is Rich, and again in 1991 for Rabbit at Rest. He continued to write into his later years. John Updike died in Massachusetts at the age of 76 due to lung cancer (http://www. achievement. org/autodoc/page/updobio-l). The following series of published literary criticisms focus on John Updikes short story AP. It is one of his more famous short stories. The selected critiques analyze the story in terms of its style, theme, or literary devices. Subsequent to the article responses is a literary criticism based on a personal reflection to the story and its ties to modern society using evidence from the original text. Title of Source: The art of John Updikes AP Author: Toni Saldivar Search Engine: ProQuest Literature Module Website: ProQuest Web Address: http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. barry. edu Abstract: Toni Saldivars essay entitled, The art of John Updikes AP, is a literary criticism allusions to art in order to increase the romanticism of the story, and that dramatic irony is significant to the construction of the meaning of plot for a reader. The introduction emphasizes the importance of this short story in terms of American literature. The piece was first published in The New Yorker, and therefore assumes that the reader has a certain amount of knowledge that is required to fully appreciate the writing. The next section gives a synopsis of the story and an explanation of the main character, Sammy, a nineteen year old boy. According to Saldivar, the overall focus of the essay is to show how Sammy is not only starting to come to terms with the reality of modern society, but also his own cultural role, including his sexuality. In relation to this assertion, the article argues that the reader can only understand Sammy, and truly enjoy the story if they are able to sense the dramatic irony and romanticism of the plot. The story is full of metaphors, but the most important one is not explicitly written in the original text. The reader is supposed to make the connection between Sammys description of the young girl and Botticellis Venus. The dramatic irony comes from how Sammy is able to allude to things that are beyond his scope of knowledge. He knows there is a world beyond his suburban bubble, but he knows nothing about it. Evaluation of Criticism: This literary criticism is very abstract in nature, but provides strong textual evidence to support its claims. Once it is understood that Updike wrote the story for an intended audience, it makes sense that the plot contains elements that connect to classic art and also relies on subtle dramatic irony. However, the article is long- winded in its explanation of the connection. It provides numerous examples from the original text, and also uses art criticism of the Venus for further evidence. It also repeats its thesis statement in various places and in numerous ways. The driving point is that understanding the allusion to Botticelli, and grasping the elements of Sammy that can only be read between the lines is essential to appreciating the story for all that it is worth. This literary criticism is useful because it illustrates how the arts are connected, in this case, writing and painting. The arts are fluid and can translate between different mediums. The story is considered modern, but the painting is a classic. The character of Sammy is also meant to be relatable, even to future generations. The essay is well researched and soundly written; it is a good example of what a published literary criticism should look like. Title of Source: Irony and Innocence in John Updikes AP Author: Lawrence Jay Dessner Search Engine: Literature Resource Center Website: Gale Web Address: http://go. galegroup. com The critical essay by Lawrence Jay Dessner explains the importance of the themes f irony and innocence in John Updikes short story AP. The essay begins with a short summary of the story, and introduces the character of Sammy. Dessner argues that the story depends on irony. The reader expects a certain action and reaction from Sammy, but instead he does the opposite. This irony provides an innocent air of humor due to Sammys lack of world knowledge and youthful outlook on life. The remainder of this literary criticism analyzes Sammys interactions with the other characters in the book, including the difficult customer, the girls, and the grumpy manager. This particular literary criticism is short, but also very clear. It does not waste time explaining every detail of the plot because it assumes the reader is already familiar with it. The purpose of the essay is to provide a meaning to the story that goes beyond the original text. The argument is that the story relies on the irony and innocence of Sammys character. The author makes his assertions, and provides textual evidence to back up each claim. Although the story itself has a tone of vagueness in terms of its characters, the author of this essay gets very specific when analyzing the meaning behind the characters actions. The arguments in this criticism are concrete, and provide good insight to John Updikes influential story. Title of Source: Sammys Erotic Experience: Subjectivity and Sexual Difference in John Updikes A P Author: Greg W. Bentley The essay begins with an introduction of the story, and a short summary of the plot. This literary criticism reveals its argument right away, and that is that the storys popularity stems from its sexual nature, and that it portrays a feminist message through the perspective of a male. The argument also goes on to say that this message creates a distinct type of irony. The main character of the story, Sammy, has an erotic experience, but it is not inappropriate, simply a rite of passage. Citing an expert in feminism, the author argues that men and women are not very physically different in terms of sexuality, but are biologically different. Textual evidence is also used to prove this claim. The essay points out that Sammys struggle comes from the reactions of the other men in the story. The other men provide an example of conventional masculinity, but Sammy has his own feelings and opinions of women that differ from the other men. The article focuses on the sexuality and eroticism of he story, but makes sure to present these themes in an intellectual and healthy way. Greg W. Bentleys critical essay takes a controversial theme of Updikes short story, introduce and explain the feminist theories that are essential to essays argument. Citing a credible expert and using evidence from the original text make the essay easy to follow and understand. At first glance the essay may seem abstract, but to the contrary, it is very realistic. This literary criticism points out that America responds to sex. The setting of this short story is a microcosm in the macrocosm that is American ulture, and sex plays a large role in that culture. This piece also explains the difference between girls and women by using the girls in the story as an example. Updike wrote this story during a time of great change in American culture; things were loosening up. Sex was something that was once never spoken about, but now is accepted as a rite of passage. The author is right in saying that sex appeals to Americans, that is what makes this story so relevant to even the modern reader. Works Cited Bentley, Greg W.. Sammys Erotic Experience: Subjectivity and Sexual Difference in John Updikes A P. Journal of the Short Story In English 43 (2004): 121-141. Gale Group.