Nathaniel Hawthorne

Bloom's Major Short Story Writers

by Harold Bloom (Editor)

Nineteenth-century novelist and short-story writer Nathaniel Hawthorne is a key figure in the development of American literature. The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables are cited among his major achievements, along with a number of haunting short stories, such as The Minister's Black Veil. Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Hawthorne was influenced by his Puritan heritage; his great-grandfather was a judge at the 1692 witch trials. Here, Harold Bloom draws on full-length essays from leading literary publications to present an in-depth understanding of the Romantic and Gothic master. This completely updated study in the acclaimed Bloom's Modern Critical Views series also includes an editor's note and introduction by Professor Bloom, offering his own insights on the author and on the critical analyses included. A listing of major works covered in the book, a helpful chronology tracing the events in Hawthorne's life, and information on the critics whose essays have been selected add further depth. Students will find this comprehensive volume makes the most of study time and serves as an excellent resource for compare-and-contrast essay assignments.

Genres: Criticism

270 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.