A,Coward,Androgynous,Creature：On,the,Calamity,of,Kepesh

1、A,Coward,Androgynous,Creature ：On,the,Calamity,of,KepeshAbstract ： TheBreast （ 1972）isacknowledgedtobeoneofthemostdaringfictionofmetamorphosisi nthetwentiethcentury.Thepaperinvestigatesthecauseofthemetam orphosisofprofessorKepeshintoanatomizedandrogynouscreature. Itbelievesthatthehiddendidacticlesso

2、nimpartedbyPhilipRothis thatthefutureofhumanracedoesnotconsistsinthescientificprogr essionandegoisticcalculativewayofliving ， butintakingupfatefulactionscourageously. KeyWords： Kepesh； metamorphosis ； coward； androgynous ；calamity1IntroductionInthe1990s ， PhilipRothwonAmerica sfourmajorliteraryaward

3、sinsuccession ，Heexpressedhisconcernforthefemaledominanceinhisworksandcame toluxuriateintheimmanenceofthematernityinPatrimonybyaccepti ngBessiesinfluenceoverhim.AlthoughPhilipRothhashadatbestanambivalen trelationshipwithfeminism hisdepictionofwomenandhisrelationshiptothematernitywarrants reconsidera

4、tion.Roth sautobiographicalwritingistoooftencontextualizedinamasculin isttraditionthatprivilegesthesingularityoftheself.AccordingtoKaiMikkonen ，thecriticalreceptionofTheBreastwasnotaltogetherflattering.（ Mikkonen1999： 14） Formany，TheBreastwasflawedasaliteraryworkwhichisapttobeimmatureandwhimsicalint

5、he1970s ， HaroldPinskerregardittobe “masochistic ” ，IrvingHoweultimatelyredeemedittobe “ boring ， tame， tasteless.Kimmage： 27-40 )LouisHarapcriticizeduponRoth ssexualandsatiricalproclivities.Interestingly ，somecriticsmaintainedthatTheBreastcancertainlybereadasanall egory，orastraightforwardtaleofmyth

6、icaltransformationfocusingonthe comedyofmalepride.WhilesomeothersstatethatRoth sobsessionwithsexandhissatiricalproclivitiesareattenuatedin TheBreast.InBigBreastsandWideHipsproducedbyChinesewriterMoYan ，breast bearshighlypornographicassociationsandconnotations.HoweverTheBreastshouldbynomeansbesimplyt

7、akenasanobscenenovel.Instead， throughrenderingsarcasticportraitsofmodernmen ly，ThispaperintendstouavelPhilip ssatiricalnatureincomposingthisnovel toexamplifythatthepermanentgerminthehumanrace liesnotinscientificandegoisticcalculativewayo

8、fliving butinanelevatedhumansoul.Beingaliteraryprofessor theprotagonist smindwasbynomeanselevated.Hebasiccriterionandchiefaspiratio nwasto “ keeptowhatisordinaryandfamiliar betterthebanalthantheapocalyptic ” ( Roth ：22) .Thedebasementofhisheartfinallyleadtohisdownfall thetransformationintoanunthinkingfemaleorgan upontheassumptionthat ， TheBreast ， resemblingRomanpoetOvid sworkArsAmatoriawhichwasfirstlymisunderstoodtobepornographicandunsatisfacto rilyappreciatedbySaintAugustus ，containsmetaphoricalhumanisticadmonitions.Afterreadingit readerswouldb