While meeting this man at an Italian restaurant, the narrator wonders about the “substratum” under this man’s perfect facade, only to discover it after this man’s death from prostate cancer. For 10 points each:
[10m] Name this glove factory owner in Old Rimrock and former three-sport athlete. 10 years after running into this high school idol of his at Shea Stadium, the narrator is asked to write a tribute for this man’s dead father Lou.
ANSWER: Seymour Levov [or “the Swede”; prompt on Levov]
[10e] The idyllic life of Seymour “the Swede” Levov is shattered when his daughter Merry bombs a post office in this 1997 novel by Philip Roth.
ANSWER: American Pastoral
[10h] In an oft-quoted line in literary discussions of the Trump era, Zuckerman says that Merry’s actions brought the Swede into the “desperation of the counterpastoral,” which he calls the “indigenous American” form of this sentiment.
ANSWER: berserk [accept indigenous American berserk]
<S, American Literature>