Mark Twain

Bloom's Classic Critical Views

by Harold Bloom (Editor)

-- User's guide
-- Biography of the short story writer
-- List of characters in each story
-- Detailed thematic analysis of each short story
-- Extracts from major critical essays that discuss important aspects of each work
-- A complete bibliography of the writer's works
-- A list of critical works about the short stories covered in the book
-- An index of themes and ideas in the author's work

77 pages, ebook

First published May 1, 1988

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

[Cricket Muse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Twain, like Dickens, is best preferred in small doses, when it comes to their writing. Their actual story is far more interesting than the stories they wrote--at least for me. Mark Twain is one of the first world wide literary celebrities. He probably is the first celebrity. His larger than life persona is presented in this thorough thumbnail biography, providing a mere sampling of this audacious author. There is only so much that can be covered in a biography of this size and while it whets the appetite for more, it is sufficient for a passing understanding of who Twain was and how he came to be.