Philip Roth Studies Announces a CFP for a Special Issue on American Pastoral at 30

As 2027 marks the 30th anniversary of the novel's original publication, this special issue welcomes full length articles or notes that consider the legacy and resonance of the novel, as well as evaluations of previously unexplored or under-explored themes and contexts. 

Approaches might address the ways the novel speaks to our current political moment, the evolving narrative voice of Nathan Zuckerman, the novel's representation of the natural world, intergenerational conflict, its engagement with the intersections of race and class, the backdrop of the Vietnam War, national disillusionment, questions of history and historiography, reconsiderations of the pastoral, assimilation and American identity, implications of literary form, and more. 

Please send brief proposals by December 1, 2026 to Maggie McKinley and Matthew Shipe, co-executive editors of PRS, at philiprothstudies@gmail.com. The submission deadline for completed essays/notes is June 1, 2027. 

Please direct any inquires to the co-editors at the email above.