John Milton

Bloom's Classic Critical Views

by Harold Bloom (Editor), Brett Foster

Presents a collection of critical essays discussing the works of the English poet.

358 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

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

[William Schram · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a series of essays edited by Harold Bloom that critique the works of John Milton. All of the essays are old, but this is not necessarily bad. Although, I suppose they could be worse off. The earliest essay is from 1959 and the latest is from 1985.

Most of them focus on Paradise Lost or some aspect of that poem. Milton wrote other works, but they pale in comparison. Finally, this is a scholarly work, and all of the essays reflect that.

Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.

[Bill Keefe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drawing on snippets of critiques and analyses by a wide range of scholars, Bloom provides a solid framework from which a beginning reader of Milton can approach his work. It reduced the barriers to entry by defining the landscape and historical perspective of works like Lycidas and Samson Agonistes and helped me appreciate more fully the works that I then read.

[Kathleen McKim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chosen excerpts for "Lycidas" and "On His Blindness" are very helpful in explicating both form and allusion. Does not deal as much with politics of the Revolution, nor of Milton's views on censorship in depth. Paradise Lost/Paradise Regained not covered in this volume.