Alfred, Lord Tennyson (Bloom's Classic Critical Views)
Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-92) was born in Lincolnshire, the sixth of eleven children of a clergyman. After a childhood marked by trauma, he went up to Cambridge in 1828, where he met Arthur Hallam, whose premature death had a lasting influence on Tennyson's life and writing. His two volumes of Poems (1842) established him as the leading poet of his generation, and of the Victorian period.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein, a story she wrote at the age of 19, is still a popular tale to this day. The novel is studied here in terms of its Romantic elements. Other works examined include Mathilda and The Last Man.
Walt Whitman transcended the conventional sentiments and romanticized morality of his era with a body of work that incorporated new poetic forms and controversial subject matter. This volume examines Whitman’s innovations with an introduction by Professor Harold Bloom, an extensive biography of Whitman, and a critical analysis of his work, including "Leaves of Grass."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (Bloom's Classic Critical Views)
Ralph Waldo Emerson was a key figure of the American Renaissance of the mid-19th century. His essay "Nature" is considered one of the most influential works in American history, and he inspired the likes of Whitman, Thoreau, and Dickinson. This volume from the new Bloom's "Classic Critical Views" series features compelling essays from the 19th and early 20th centuries that offer students unique historical insights into a visionary whose works have remained relevant for generations.
Bloom states that Shakespeare and his elliptical mode deeply affected the writing of Herman Melville. Study Melville's work, including "Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street," "The Encantadas," "Benito Cereno," and Billy Budd, Sailor.
This title also features a biography of Herman Melville, a user guide, a detailed thematic analysis of each short story, a list of characters in each story, a complete bibliography of Melville’s works, an index of themes and ideas, and editor’s notes and introduction by Harold Bloom.
