There are some things that can’t always be explained. They can only be felt, eliciting less of a cerebral response than a visceral reaction. Joyce Carol Oates, the 31st winner of the A.J. Liebling Award for Outstanding Boxing Writing, is the author of more than 40 books and novels, all of which are elegantly written and reflect a mastery of the English language that hints strongly at her scholarly academic roots. Since 1978, she has been on the faculty of Princeton University