3 - Launching New Ventures (1976–1980)

Summary

During the second half of the 1970s, Updike carried out further exploration of familiar themes, especially in short stories and the 1976 novel Marry Me. He also made what was for him a decidedly bold move. Although he had occasionally written of locales and people other than those from his native Pennsylvania and his adopted home in New England, his 1978 novel The Coup marked his first attempt to render an extended treatment of another region of the world and deal with characters whose creation tested his imaginative powers in ways his earlier fiction had not. Reviewers made much of Updike's venture into foreign territory, though it would be unfair to say that a sea change in critical opinion occurred as a result of his experiment. There was a noted shift in attitudes toward Updike's work among academic critics, however, as feminists began systematic analysis that exposed what they felt were his misogynist views on women. At the same time, critics began commenting on the conservatism that formed the foundation of Updike's view of America. The writer once seen as a bold new voice challenging the status quo was quickly becoming known as the spokesperson for establishment values.