In a positive context, critics see The Counterlife as a prime example of Roth's artistry. He captures the details of his scenes and the activities within them; his dialogue relates clearly and harmoniously with the complexities of his theme; each chapter underscores the problems and the choices faced by the characters. Above all, say the defenders of The Counterlife, Roth's treatment of Henry/Sherman Zuckerman and the variations upon his character reveals the writer's ability to inject a full measure of intellectual soul-searching into his fiction. Not all is erotic sex within the Roth fictional environment.

However, Roth's detractors maintain that Henry/Sherman Zuckerman represents Roth's inability to focus upon and then develop a single, unified character. Rather, Zuckerman shifts about from one role to another and from one choice to another; in so doing, he destroys his own legitimacy and reality.

Thus, maintains the negative...