- Examines the most complex and memorable characters in Western literature - A selection of critical essays provides in-depth analysis of the character considered in each volume - A concise character profile discusses the character's key personality traits and physical attributes - Contains an editor's note and introduction by Harold Bloom.
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.
Bloom is the most brilliant literary critic out there. His breadth of work is staggering, and his writing has assisted me in writing my way through two English degrees and countless papers. Amazing.