The Human Stain by Philip Roth - Identity, Race, and Secrecy in Modern America

Explore a 49-minute lecture from Yale University's "The American Novel Since 1945" course, focusing on Philip Roth's "The Human Stain." Delve into Roth's unique approach to the Identity Plot genre, examining how race is portrayed as category, mark, biology, and performance. Discover how the novel ultimately defines its protagonist's racial identity through concealment, with secrecy serving as the core of identity and the driving force behind desire and narrative. Analyze the historical context of the 1990s, the performance of self, classification as definition, the body as a sign of otherness, and the relationship between speech, secrecy, and identity. Gain insights into Roth's exploration of desire and difference in this comprehensive examination of a modern American literary work.