Stephen King

Bloom's Modern Critical Views

by Harold Bloom (Editor)

A collection of critical essays discussing the work of the prolific horror writer Stephen King.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Literary Criticism

256 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1998

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

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a collection of academic essays about the works of Stephen King. This is a subject that interests me, so I was hoping for more than what I got. The essays were either smugly academic, insufficiently rigorous, or unenlightening. Quite frequently, they were dreadfully dull. Some of the clever and eloquent insults in the Editor's Note and Foreword were the high point of the entire exercise.

The unenlightening were things that I already derived from his work, without the need for additional outside reading. The smugly academic were frequently dismissive and proud of their vocabulary that is useful only in the world of academia. (I have a pretty substantial vocabulary, but often encountered a word that seemed to carry a specific definition in the world of literary critique.)

I had hoped for tougher rigor from this collection of academic essays. The one that really got my dander up, was the Misery essay. This one includes a monstrous logical fallacy that posits that since King has issues with extreme fans (like ones that break into your house) that he hates all his fans. It's clear that the author of the essay holds both King and his readers in disdain, and is only too willing to accept poor logical leaps to write a negative screed.

I cannot recommend this to anyone other than academics who want to feel smugly superior by reading "proper literature" while looking down on popular fiction.

[Nancy Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the introduction, Harold Brown says that Stephen King's stories have "replaced reading", meaning people are reading King instead of more literary works. This, according to Brown, is a failure of the American educational system. "Nothing intrinsic in King's work is nearly so important as the overwhelming fact of his popularity... King will be remembered as a sociological phenomenon, an image of the death of the Literate Reader."

However, most of the authors of the essays included in this collection seem to think there's more to Stephen King than one might first assume. Clive Barker says, "I come to these pages... with a substantial enthusiasm for the work of Stephen King."

Jonathan P. Davis writes in his essay, "If one were to accumulate an adequate amount of critical interpretation on the political, social, and moral subtext of King's works, one would easily fill up rows of library shelves much like those that are weighted with critical interpretations on Faulkner and Shakespeare. The material discussed up to this point is an attempt to provide the reader with the knowledge that King is not just an entertainer - that there is more to acquire from a Stephen King book then just scares and thrills... King does not limit himself to any one area but rather attempts to address all specters of the human condition in his canon, a feat that lesser writers of today's popular culture have been unable to achieve."

I'm reading Stephen King's books in order of publication, and have recently finished Gerald's Game which was published in 1992. Since then, King has published over 100 more books (and doesn't show signs of slowing down), making his contribution to our collective culture all the more impressive.

[jacky · Rating 2 out of 5]

My book club was reading The Shining, so i got really into thinking critically about King for about a month. I was excited to read some critism after being away for several years. But, these essays were dry (and in very small print). i also wished for more detail, both textual evidence and discussion of theories. Might still return to this sometime.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

But ignore Bloom's introduction. If he thinks King is such a terrible writer, why do this book? Need to make a payment on the sailboat?

I gave it a 4, because the essays are interesting, and they'll help when you argue with people about King's themes and the quality of his writing.

[Ada · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretentious academics dissecting King's work miss the mark. BORING! And, in at least one case, shoehorning one's own philosophy into King's work.

Don't bother wasting your time reading this book.

[Jan Lynch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bloom's evaluation of King's writing abilities is gratuitous. He can't bring himself to admit that King has talent. The biography on King is great!

[Matthew]

it was boring

[Tay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read essays analyzing King and his early work, especially the predictions! The book hails from 2002.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring and not what I had hoped :(