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Sabbath's Theater
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Plot Summary of Sabbath's Theater
"Roth's writing style is excellent, as is his characterization. In this book Mickey Sabbath, a retired (forced by arthritis) puppeteer, remembers his youth as a sailor and the whores in each port of call, while living it up in his old age with another man's wife. In between all the (very graphic) sex, he loses someone he loves and constantly remembers his brother that died in the war. This book is full of very cynical rants and not for the faint of heart."
Shane Tiernan, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Sabbath's Theater
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - depressed
Time/era of story - 1980's-1999
Romance/Romance Problems Yes
Kind of romance: - playing footsy while inconveniently married
Life of a profession: - sailor
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Job/Profession/Status story Yes
Taboo sex story? Yes
Lover is - a prostitute (practice makes perfect!)

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - unemployed
Age: - 60's-90's
Eccentric/Mental Yes
Eccentric: - eccentric - obsessed - emotionally unstable
How sensitive is this character? - soggy whimpering jelly muffin
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - missing body parts/abilities

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - small businessman
Eccentric/Smart/Dumb: Yes
Eccentric: - obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 3 ()
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast
City? Yes
City: - dirty, grimy (like New York)

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - licking - use of artificial tools - lesbians! - actual description of hetero sex - descript. of female anat. (the big B's) - descript. of female anat. (the big V) - descript. of nude males (the big P)
Lot of foul language? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Philip Roth Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Whitney  

SCHOLARS:
Craig Donofrio  Suzie  


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