Harold Bloom

Sterling Professor of the Humanities Harold Bloom

Prof. Harold Bloom

Harold Bloom's The Anxiety of Influence has cast its own long shadow of influence since it was first published in 1973. Through an insightful study of Romantic poets, Bloom puts forth his central vision of the relations between tradition and the individual artist. Although Bloom was never the leader of any critical "camp," his argument that all literary texts are a response to those that precede them had an enormous impact on the practice of deconstruction and poststructuralist literary theory in this country. The book remains a central work of criticism for all students of literature and has sold over 17,000 copies in paperback since 1984. Written in a moving personal style, anchored by concrete examples, and memorably quotable, Bloom's book maintains that the anxiety of influence cannot be evaded--neither by poets nor by responsible readers and critics. This second edition contains a new Introduction, which explains the genesis of Bloom's thinking and the subsequent influence of the book on literary criticism of the past twenty years.criticism of the past twenty years. Here, Bloom asserts that the anxiety of influence comes out of a complex act of strong misreading, a creative interpretation he calls "poetic misprision." The influence-anxiety does not so much concern the forerunner but rather is an anxiety achieved in and by the story, novel, play, poem, or essay. In other words, without Keats's reading of Shakespeare, Milton, and Wordsworth, we could not have Keats's odes and sonnets and his two Hyperions. Given the enormous attention generated by Bloom's controversial The Western Cannon, this new edition is certain to find a readymade audience among the new generation of scholars, students, and layreaders interested in the Bloom cannon.

A Theory of Poetry

The Anxiety of Influence

Presents a collection of critical essays about Kafka's The metamorphosis.

The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka, New Edition

Presents a collection of essays analyzing Angelou's story, I know why the caged bird sings. Also includes a chronology of events in the author's life.

A Casebook

Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Each title, covering three to six poems, features: - A user's guide - An editor's note and introduction by Harold Bloom - A biography of the poet - Detailed thematic analysis of each poem covered - Extracts from major critical essays that discuss important aspects of each poem - A complete bibliography of the writer's poetic works - A list of critical works about the poet and his or her works - An index of themes and ideas in the author's work

Bloom's Major Poets Set, 40-Volumes

Luca Prono

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a story she wrote at the age of 19, is still a popular tale to this day, remarkable not only for its striking plot but also its Romantic elements. Part of the Bloom's Classic Critical Views series, this book includes selections of some of the best historical criticism about Mary Shelley and her works.

Henry David Thoreau

A critical overview of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play features the writings of Christopher Bigsby, Frank Ardolino, Terry Otten, and other scholars.

Death of a Salesman - Arthur Miller, Updated Edition

The Bloom's Modern Critical Views series provides the best criticism on the most widely read poets, novelists, and playwrights--from the ancients to contemporary writers. Each volume opens with an introductory essay by Harold Bloom in which he offers his insights into the author's work, followed by a representative selection of the best contemporary criticism of the writer. Also included in each volume are bibliographic references, notes on the various contributors, and a useful chronology of the writer's life. Bloom's Modern Critical Views is an in-depth presentation of masters who have shaped the Western literary tradition.

Bloom's Modern Critical Views

William Shakespeare

Things Fall Apart, set in Nigeria about a century ago, is widely regarded as Chinua Achebe's masterpiece. Considered one of the most broadly read African novels, Achebe's work responded to the two-dimensional caricatures of Africans that often dominated Western literature. This guide contains a selection of contemporary criticism of this novel.

William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

A collection of critical essays on the Shakespeare play, The merchant of Venice, arranged in chronological order of publication.

William Shakespeare's the Merchant of Venice

Presents a selection of criticism devoted to the fiction of African American author Alice Walker.

Alice Walker, New Edition

Presents a collection of critical essays on the works of Ralph Ellison.

Ralph Ellison

Examines fiction from the Edwardian and Georgian literary period that includes works by Hardy, Wilde, Kipling, Forster and others.

Edwardian and Georgian Fiction

Mark Twain

In Shakespeare's powerful drama of destiny and revenge, Hamlet, the troubled prince of Denmark, must overcome his own self-doubt and avenge the murder of his father. Contains a selection of the finest criticism through the centuries on Hamlet, as well as a biography on Shakespeare.

Hamlet

Mary Shelley

Camus's landmark novel traces the aftermath of a shocking crime and the man whose fate is sealed with one rash and foolhardy act. The Stranger presents readers with a new kind of protagonist, a man unable to transcend the tedium and inherent absurdity of everyday existence in a world indifferent to the struggles and strivings of its human denizens. This addition to the Bloom's Guides series features an annotated bibliography and a listing of works by the author for further reading.

William Shakespeare's Othello

Henry W

Albert A Berg

Examines the Romantic period in poetry that includes the works of Byron, Shelley, Keats and others.

English Romantic Poetry

Discusses the characters, plot and writing of the epic poem involving the legendary hero Beowulf and his battle with the creature Grendel.

Beowulf

Presents a collection of critical essays on the works of Truman Capote.

Truman Capote

-- Presents the most important 20th-century criticism on major works from The Odyssey through modern literature. -- The critical essays reflect a variety of schools of criticism. -- Contains critical biographies, notes on the contributing critics, a chronology of the author's life, and an index

Sterling Professor of the Humanities Harold Bloom

Books

Your next favorite book is out there