Wikipedia's first sentence called it “american writer philip roth 's fourth and”. Today it says “a 1969 american novel by philip roth”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “1969 book by Philip Roth”. It now reads “1969 novel by Philip Roth”.
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Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Portnoy's Complaint is a continuous monologue as narrated by its eponymous speaker, Alexander Portnoy, to his psychoanalyst , Dr. This narration weaves effortlessly through time and describes scenes from each stage in Portnoy's life, with every recollection in some way touching upon Portnoy's central dilemma: his inability to enjoy the fruits of his sexual adventures even as his extreme libidinal urges force him to seek release in ever more creative (and, in his mind, degrading and shameful) acts of eroticism . Roth is not subtle about defining this as the main theme of his book. On the first page of the novel one finds this clinical definition of "Portnoy's Complaint", as if ripped from the pages of a manual on sexual dysfunction: Portnoy's Complaint : A disorder in which strongly-felt ethical and altruistic impulses are perpetually warring with extreme sexual longings, often of a perverse nature... Other topics touched on in the book include the assimilation experiences of American Jews, their relationship to the Jews of Israel , and the pleasures and perils (most prominently, emasculation) inherent in being the son of a Jewish family. Portnoy's Complaint , in addition to its purely literary status as a "comic masterpiece", is also emblematic of the times during which it was published. Most obviously, the book's sexual frankness was both a product of and an inspiration for the sexual revolution that was in full-swing during the late 1960s . And the book's narrative style, a huge departure from the stately, semi- Jamesian prose of Roth's earlier novels, has often been likened to the stand-up performances of '60s comedian Lenny Bruce .1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16073310.
The opening as it stood in 2010 8 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
First edition cover Portnoy's Complaint (1969) is American writer Philip Roth 's most popular novel.Many of its characteristics (comedic prose; themes of sexual desire and sexual frustration ; a self-conscious literariness) went on to become Roth trademarks.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 371096715.
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Portnoy's Complaint (1969) is the American novel that turned its author Philip Roth into a major celebrity, sparking a storm of controversy over its explicit and candid treatment of sexuality, including detailed depictions of masturbation using various props including a piece of liver.The novel tells the humorous monologue of "a lust-ridden, mother-addicted young Jewish bachelor," who confesses to his psychoanalyst in "intimate, shameful detail, and coarse, abusive language." Many of its characteristics (comedic prose; themes of sexual desire and sexual frustration ; a self-conscious literariness) went on to become Roth trademarks.In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Portnoy's Complaint 52nd on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 661057312.
The opening as it stood in 2020
Portnoy's Complaint is a 1969 American novel by Philip Roth . Its success turned Roth into a major celebrity, sparking a storm of controversy over its explicit and candid treatment of sexuality, including detailed depictions of masturbation using various props including a piece of liver. The novel tells the humorous monologue of "a lust-ridden, mother-addicted young Jewish bachelor," who confesses to his psychoanalyst in "intimate, shameful detail, and coarse, abusive language." Many of its characteristics (such as comedic prose, themes of sexual desire and sexual frustration , and a self-conscious literariness) went on to become Roth trademarks. In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Portnoy's Complaint 52nd on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 956427733.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
1969 book by Philip Roth For the 1972 film based on this novel, see Portnoy's Complaint (film) . Portnoy's Complaint is a 1969 American novel by Philip Roth . Its success turned Roth into a major celebrity, sparking a storm of controversy over its explicit and candid treatment of sexuality, including detailed depictions of masturbation using various props including a piece of liver. The novel tells the humorous monologue of "a lust-ridden, mother-addicted young Jewish bachelor," who confesses to his psychoanalyst in "intimate, shameful detail, and coarse, abusive language." In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Portnoy's Complaint 52nd on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century . Time included this novel in its " TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005." "Fleming 1958" .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1167154913.
The opening as it stood in 2025
1969 book by Philip Roth For the 1972 film based on this novel, see Portnoy's Complaint (film) . Portnoy's Complaint is a 1969 American novel by Philip Roth . Its success turned Roth into a major celebrity, sparking a storm of controversy over its explicit and candid treatment of sexuality, including detailed depictions of masturbation using various props. The novel tells the humorous monologue of "a lust-ridden, mother-addicted young Jewish bachelor," who confesses to his psychoanalyst in "intimate, shameful detail, and coarse, abusive language." In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Portnoy's Complaint 52nd on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century . Time included this novel in its " TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005." "Fleming 1958" .
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1296263111. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “american writer philip roth 's fourth and”. Today it says “a 1969 american novel by philip roth”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “1969 book by Philip Roth”. It now reads “1969 novel by Philip Roth”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
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2020
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2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
american writer philip roth 's fourth and
Now
a 1969 american novel by philip roth
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
