John Ashbery: Comprehensive Research and Study Guide (Bloom's Major Poets) by Harold Bloom (2004) Library Binding

Bloom's Modern Critical Views

by Harold Bloom

- User's guide - Editor's note and introduction by Harold Bloom - A comprehensive biography of the poet - Detailed thematic analysis of each poem - 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

Genres: Poetry

Library Binding

First published September 1, 1985

About the author

Harold Bloom was an American literary critic and the Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. In 2017, Bloom was called "probably the most famous literary critic in the English-speaking world." After publishing his first book in 1959, Bloom wrote more than 50 books, including over 40 books of literary criticism, several books discussing religion, and one novel. He edited hundreds of anthologies concerning numerous literary and philosophical figures for the Chelsea House publishing firm. Bloom's books have been translated into more than 40 languages. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1995.
Bloom was a defender of the traditional Western canon at a time when literature departments were focusing on what he derided as the "school of resentment" (multiculturalists, feminists, Marxists, and others). He was educated at Yale University, the University of Cambridge, and Cornell University.

Reviews

[Mark Fulk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good and useful volume, highlighting the key works of John Ashbery's early phase (he would go on for another twenty or so years). The lack of historical/historicist work is notable, and many of the best essays concern the long title poem of his collection "Self in a Convex Mirror." The volume provides the groundwork for more significant work on this important American poet.